Our hospital discharge service is commissioned by NHS Improvement

We have been commissioned by NHS Improvement to provide hospital discharge services in Staffordshire.

NHS Improvement recognises the value of our work and expertise in supporting families, reducing choice delays and improving patient flow.

Dr Richard Newland, chief executive of CHS Healthcare, commented: “We are really delighted that our expertise in hospital discharge has been nationally recognised by NHS Improvement in this way.”

“We have shown NHS Improvement our services, with evidence of the impact we achieve, and we are very pleased to be commissioned as part of a national programme of strategic support for hospitals facing particular challenges.”

In additional to this nationally commissioned scheme, our services are locally commissioned throughout the country. We currently provide in-house discharge co-ordination in 30 hospitals from Cumbria, through the north-west, Midlands and London to the south coast.

We consistently achieve challenging key performance indicators: families are contacted on the same day as the referral is made, care home is chosen within two days of referral and transfer to community care is achieved within five days of referral.

NHS Improvement have commissioned our work in the University Hospitals of the North Midlands (UHNM). The scheme commenced in March, with a focus on Fast Track and self-funding patients.

In our other main area of expertise, continuing healthcare, our services are also centrally commissioned by NHS England.

We have been providing hospital discharge services for 20 years, with unique expertise and experience in this area. Our advisers, who work directly with families to focus on appropriate care choices, visits and decisions, are available during evenings and weekends. This is often more convenient with families and significantly reduces delays.

Our knowledge of the community-based care sector in each locality where we work and our strong relationships with care providers also means we can drive down causes of delay. The strength of our reporting and information management is also widely recognised.