07.03.13
Making the move
The move towards care being delivered primarily in the community or the home, rather than in hospitals, has been given another shove today by the latest NHS Confederation paper.
It adds to a growing pile of evidence in favour of fewer, smaller hospitals, with more specialised care.
But the public are swayed by rhetoric, not always facts. And general opinion is still very much behind keeping their own local hospital. Attempts to reconfigure care are being met with opposition, protests and a huge degree of fear over what will happen to their community without this bedrock of treatment and care.
If the NHS is serious about properly integrating care and making the shift from our default setting of dependence on hospitals, it must first work to improve care in the community and to implement the necessary infrastructure to cover demand.
Once an effective care system is set up nearer to home, it could make patients hugely more amenable to refocusing hospitals on the most critical cases.
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]