21.05.20
Housing association freeing up bed space to help ease NHS pressures
Words provided by Home Group, editorially reviewed by National Health Executive
One of the UK’s largest housing associations has freed up essential bed space within its portfolio in-order-to ease bed pressure on the NHS.
Home Group, which provides housing, health and care across England and Scotland, has so far made close to 150 beds available, and is now working on offering up more.
The not-for-profit organisation, which has 55,000 properties in its portfolio, has converted vacant properties to accommodate patients leaving hospital but who are currently unable to return home.
Beds have already been taken up in Cornwall, where the NHS and Cornwall Council have placed 11 people in a building which was turned around to meet the needs of patients in ten days.
Huntley Place, Reading (left) and Centenary Quay, Southampton (right) are two of the sites Home Group has successfully created available capacity at in order to help support the NHS and ease pressure on the healthcare service.
Rachael Byrne, Executive Director of New Models of Care, said: “It’s been an incredible effort by colleagues in turning around these properties in such short a space of time to provide comfortable, safe and secure spaces for people to recuperate.
“As a provider of housing, health and care, we are in a fairly unique position to utilise any empty bed capacity for patients that are ready to be discharged but who are either awaiting a space in a residential or care home, requiring adaptations to their home or simply don’t have a home to be discharged to.
“These properties will make such a difference to both hospital capacity and outpatients during this time and we’re continuing to look at where else we can support the NHS and local governments across England and Scotland. We are certainly open to having discussions with providers in order to support their needs.”
Home Group has currently made space available in Reading, Blackpool, Barrow, Southampton and within Calderdale and Kirklees local authority areas.