Advertisement

Elderly hospital-leaving warning

Wales' Health Minister has set out plans to reduce the pressure on A&E departments here. The charity Age Cymru is warning that older patients must not be pressured to leave hospital too soon, and without the right support.

View all 5 updates ›

'£1 spent on older person's home saves £7.50'

The charity Care & Repair Cymru says "one of the most cost effective ways" to make sure patients are discharged from hospital on time is improving older people's housing.

It estimates that for every £1 spent adapting an older person’s home, £7.50 is saved to NHS and social service budgets.

Most older people prefer to be at home and such investment, targeted at higher risk frail older people would prevent or reduce the number of hospital admissions in the first place, but if older people are waiting to return home, then investment to increase and speed up adaptations and other home improvements that enable them to live safely at home make huge sense.

We have many examples of older patients who have been in hospital, wanting to return home, but their properties are unsuitable.

– Chris Jones, Chief Executive of Care & Repair Cymru

More top news