Facility should not be closed

The government is ‘investing’ some £5billion to reduce the backlog of patients who have been awaiting procedures during Covid. This will take time, but how can we expect this to be effective if there is a shortage of intermediate care beds to free up acute bed space?

Why then, does West Sussex County Council consider it acceptable to close one of its own intermediate care facilities? A recent consultation by West Sussex, in the light of having to make savings to its ‘in house’ provision, proposes the closure of Marjorie Cobby, a short-term care home which used to deliver reablement services and which is used for respite, emergency and intermediate care.

The national Home First strategy, whereby patients are discharged home, with appropriate domiciliary care in place, would appear to be a sound strategy, but it is not right for all patients who need that ‘buffer’ between hospital and home.

As an informal carer, I often struggled with finding appropriate placements for my cared-for when he was discharged from hospital – there were occasions when he needed reablement but this was not available due to bed capacity, there were also occasions when he needed intermediate care but had to go outside the district to access it. Why then, at a time of great need are we looking to reduce the number of intermediate care beds? If discharges home are made because intermediate beds are not available and home care fails, the risk is that we have an increasing number of failed discharges and ‘revolving door’ admissions leading to even more pressure on acute hospital beds, compromising the national investment which is being made to reduce waiting lists.

Reliance on the private sector to provide this extra bed capacity is, at best, a very risky strategy given the sector’s preference for longer term residents.

As far back as 2017, when there was a National Audit of Intermediate Care, it was shown that, as a country, we had only half the beds and places needed to ensure that all patients requiring it, could access residential intermediate care. Yes, Marjorie Cobby needs some modernisation but, closing a facility with potential to service an important need within our communities, especially at this very difficult time, is counter-productive.

The primary functions of the type of care Marjorie Cobby can deliver are to prevent admission or facilitate discharge. Why then, at a time when there is so much pressure on acute beds are we putting all our faith in the ability of the private sector to deliver this extra capacity? Why are we not investing to ensure that short term care and reablement can always be delivered thereby reducing the pressure on hospital beds and improving outcomes for patients?

As the county councillor representing Selsey, I would ask that cabinet considers the wider implications of closing this facility, which has the potential to meet the needs of both present and future communities.

CLLR DONNA JOHNSON West Sussex County Council Selsey division Lifeboat Way

Selsey