SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has expressed concern over the recently announced 50 day challenge for Health Boards in Wales.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister was speaking in the Senedd after a fellow member asked for a statement regarding the new 50 day challenge to health boards to address delays in hospital discharges.
The 50-day winter challenge identifies 10 best-practice initiatives to help people to stay well at home and leave hospital once clinical needs are met. It challenges both health and social care partners to target support on the 25% of those patients with delayed discharges, putting plans in place to support them to return home.
Mr Rowlands, who constantly criticises the Welsh Government for failings to help the struggling NHS said: “I just wanted to put on record again my gratitude to those health and care workers who are now going to face the winter pressures and the challenges that face them.
“We all know in this Chamber that they are doing their best, and want to do their best, to ensure that people are discharged at the most appropriate time, and, hopefully, for more people, that will be faster than it has been over recent years.
“I’m interested to understand where this 50 days number has come from, and whether you knocked around some other numbers as to which might be the most effective target to aim for, whether it’s clinical evidence or the evidence you have to ensure that that 50 day target is something that is either achievable or realistic for health boards working with social care services to reach.
“What we do need to see is a longer term plan, to ensure that people aren’t in hospital longer than they need to be.”
Mr Rowlands asked Jeremy Miles, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care how he expected waiting lists to be reduced as a result of the 50 day challenge.
Mr Miles said the plan included hospital located interventions and making greater of care homes and community beds but it was not a 50 day job done approach, but a 50 day period of intense working to put the new arrangements in place.
Mr Rowlands added: “While I welcome any moves which ultimately may lead to people not being in hospital longer than they need to, unfortunately, I really do worry about how these measures will make any difference.
“I still fear that many people who turn up at A&E and find themselves waiting hours just to see a clinician, never mind being admitted to hospital, will still have a long wait.
“While we have a system which cannot keep pace with discharging patients, quickly enough, particularly elderly who need to go into social care, there will always be a shortage of beds.
