Start of 2015 heralds new hospital discharge schemes in hospitals across London

CHS Healthcare has been widely commissioned across London to set up new hospital discharge schemes.

Major new hospital discharge schemes have been agreed to help address unprecedented pressures on emergency services.

“We have always emphasised how reducing delays to discharge and improving the whole patient flow can alleviate emergency pressures,” says Dr Richard Newland, chief executive of CHS Healthcare.

“There is growing recognition that having a specialised, dedicated discharge service enables hospitals to regain some control over emergency pressures.”

The new schemes in the capital start in February and March. They have been commissioned by St George’s Hospital Trust, Queen Mary’s Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals.

In addition to these new schemes, CHS has been re-commissioned for the second year running in north-west London. Commissioned by Enfield and Haringey CCG, the scheme is running for six months through the winter to specifically address seasonal pressures by improving discharge and patient flow.

CHS Healthcare has provided services in London for more than a decade and has a long established team in the capital. Now, the new schemes amount to a significant expansion of services covering central, north and south London.

Susan Adams, CHS regional manager who is leading all the schemes in the capital, said: “We have worked in London for a long time, so we understand the context and the particular challenges facing services in the capital.

“We are delighted to be commissioned to work in some very prestigious hospitals, known nationally and internationally.

“There is of course wide variation across the hospitals, in terms of the type of services they provide and the populations they serve.

“The common theme however is the recognition of the need for a dedicated, specialist hospital discharge service that is entirely focused on reducing unnecessary delays to discharge.”