A new video has been launched to explain the NHS Let’s Get You Home initiative to patients and the public across Sussex and East Surrey. It features real staff – nurses, social workers and hospital managers – who will help patients leave hospital swiftly and safely once their treatment there is complete.
As well as supporting patients to recover more quickly, Let’s Get You Home is helping hospitals including Conquest and Eastbourne District General Hospitals have beds available through the winter when more people are ill or have accidents. All NHS hospitals have a duty to ensure that their beds are occupied only by people who need treatment there.
There is a lot of evidence to show that patients recover better away from hospital:
- Resting in bed even for short periods can cause patients to lose strength in their muscles.
- Patients may become used to living in hospital, leaving them less able to manage in their own homes
- Hospitals work hard to prevent infections but can’t eliminate the risk of a patient catching one which they may be ill-equipped to resist.
Vikki Carruth Director of Nursing, who appears in the video, said: “The video highlights the benefits to patients of leaving hospital quickly once their treatment there is complete. Nurses and social workers explain how we will support patients to get them safely home and speed their recovery.”
The video will be distributed through NHS websites and social media and may be shown on screens in hospitals. It can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8yQasiLSf8
Let’s Get You Home is being implemented by the 24 NHS organisations and local councils across the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, including adult services teams at West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.