'Stop unnecessary deaths': Call for urgent action over county's emergency care and discharge crisis

It comes after the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine – Dr Adrian Boyle – told national media that up to 500 people per week were dying due to A&E delays.

Meole Councillor Bernie Bentick says this is equivalent to five deaths a week in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and says 'immediate action' must be taken.

Councillor Bentick said: “The immediate transfer of £9 million to hospital emergency services and community social care will reduce and hopefully stop unnecessary deaths of Shropshire’s acutely ill patients.”

According to Shropshire Council's market position statement for spring/summer 2021, there are 117 registered care homes in Shropshire, with 3,485 CQC-registered beds.

Councillor Bentick says that 20 per cent of these – almost 700 beds in Shropshire – have been closed due to staff shortages and insufficient council funding.

Looking at the NHS England Sitrep data, Councillor Bentick has said there are also almost 200 patients stuck in Shrewsbury and Telford hospital wards who do not need to be in hospital.

While there are small-scale schemes commissioned by SaTH to provide social care support for patients at home and in community social care beds, these are a 'drop in the ocean of need', Councillor Bentick added.

He has called for urgent measures to be taken by Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin's Integrated Care System (ICS), including:

• Transferring at least £8.8 million into re-opening 170 of the estimated 700 unfilled community care beds and using them for those medically fit for discharge but still in hospital

• Re-open wards in Shropshire’s community hospitals for transitional care and assessment

• Further develop the Discharge to Assess (D2A) system in Shropshire

• Making levels of pay 'attractive' for staff at Shropshire hospitals in order to retain staff

Councillor Bentick said the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICS could commission the re-opening of closed care homes, and temporarily repurpose community hospital beds.

He says these actions should be immediate and commence this month, accelerating to accommodate the current need.

Responding to Councillor Bentick, leaders of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS, said both the NHS and councils are working together to manage the pressures and workforce challenges they are facing.

Councillor Lezley Picton, leader of Shropshire Council and Nick White, chief medical officer for the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS, said: “Across health and care services in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin we are continuing to experience extremely high demand and unprecedented workforce challenges, which mirrors what we are seeing nationally.

“We don’t recognise the figures Councillor Bentick is citing and will be asking him to share the detail and source of this.

"However, we want to reassure the public that health and social care partners including both the NHS and councils are working together to help manage the pressure and take additional steps to prioritise and maintain safe services for patients.

“As a system we have implemented some specific interventions from our winter plan to create further capacity.

"This includes increasing the number of hospital and social care beds and increasing the number of same-day appointments in primary care.

"We have launched our virtual wards which support people, who would otherwise be in hospital, to receive the care and treatment they need in their normal place of residence.

“We are also working together to enable faster, safer discharges from hospital to home. Getting people out of hospital on time is more important than ever.

"It’s good for patients and it helps hospitals make space for those who need urgent care."