HEALTH and care partners across the county have launched a new campaign that will mean more patients leaving hospital earlier in the day, so they can be ‘Home for Lunch’.
Local medics say discharging patients earlier in the day means patients can get home in daylight hours when it is brighter, warmer and safer to make that journey and get settled back into normal life.
It also reduces risks of a fall or other injury, and research shows that a prolonged stay in a hospital bed can have a significant negative impact on someone’s health.
Prolonged bed rest is thought to reduce the ability to walk independently for between up to 65 per cent of older people. There is also a greater risk of contracting in-ward viruses and infections in hospital.
Medics say getting patients home earlier in the day will not only help to reduce their risk of harm, it will also help to free up capacity across the whole health and care system.
