Issue - meetings

The Board received a report and accompanying presentation which provided background information in respect to Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC’s) and gave details of Halton’s latest position with regards to these.

Members were advised that a DTOC occurred when a patient was ready to leave a hospital or similar care provider but was still occupying a bed.  Delays could occur when patients were being discharged home or to a supported care facility, such as a residential or nursing home, or were awaiting transfer to a community hospital or hospice.

The report outlined how delayed transfers of care were measured and how they occurred; Halton’s performance for the months of January 2019 and February 2019 were used as an example to explain this in paragraph 3.5.

Appended to the report was Appendix 1: Halton’s DTOC’s since January 2018 and Appendix 2: the Monthly Delayed Transfers of Care Update from the North West Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS); this outlined how Halton benchmarked against other local authorities in the North West.

In response to Members’ queries the following was noted:

·       The retention of staff in the care sector was a national as well as a local concern – the Council was continuing to work with care providers on this issue;

·       Premier Care (the Council’s Lead Domiciliary Care Provider) would visit the Board at the next meeting;

·       Delays in people leaving hospital after discharge occurred due to problems with care packages being arranged for afterwards;

·       Delays in people leaving hospital after discharge occurred for a variety of reasons, for example where the family choose a care home where there are no vacancies and they join a waiting list; this then results in the relative staying in hospital until a bed is available.

RESOLVED:  That the Board notes the report contents and associated appendices.