The hospital specialists visiting patients in their Sandwell homes
Part of the NHS 10-year plan is to have more people be treated in their communities.But the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick, which serves one of the most deprived areas of the country, has already been doing this.Doctors visit about 20 acutely unwell people every week and a range of other health professionals provide care for many more.Dr Sarb Clare, an acute medical consultant, said Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust had reduced its number of beds by 100 and instead invested in treating people at home and in the community.She said acute care had been turned on its head. "The patients absolutely love it – the fact they get to see a doctor in their own homes, we are going back full circle, aren't we?"We used to see our GPs, they used to come to our houses, they used to give us treatment. "We are coming back to that, but what's unusual is now we've got doctors who traditionally work in hospitals now going in patients' homes and delivering acute care." Dr Clare said she never thought years ago as a doctor in hospital that she would be going into people's homes, "but it just makes sense".
In Mr Tonks' flat, Dr Sharjeel Kiani and his colleagues have given him daily care.Going to hospital "doesn't come without risks", Dr Kiani said."A lot of patients can have falls, develop deliriums, they can contract hospital acquired infections, so it's in his interest if we can try and keep him at home."Despite being quite unwell, Mr Tonks seemed pleased to be at home."I've been to hospital a few times in my life, which has always been ok, I've never had any complaints about hospital. But I'd much rather be at home," he said.
Speaking at the Smethwick hospital's emergency department, palliative care specialist Dr Mike Blaber said the most vulnerable often arrived there, but palliative care had been delivered at home for a number of years. Other departments have embraced home care and so-called virtual wards too."We now have a paediatric, a respiratory, a cardiology, and a frailty virtual ward with specialists who can go into the patient's home, look after them there."He added it was safe, "that's really important". "Hospital is always an option that's available to people, if they need it. "It's just that a lot of the time that's not what's needed and we know that particularly for frail elderly patients or for terminally ill patients, hospitals actually are not always the safest place to be."
The hospital was recently recognised at an international awards ceremony for its work in improving access to care and health inequalities. Staff received the Alliance Medical Health Inequalities Award at the Royal College of Physicians' Excellence in Patient Care Awards.A Department of Health & Social Care spokesperson said: "If we are to get patients cared for faster...then we need to shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community. "We are bringing together teams of professionals closer to people's home - nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors and more – to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community."
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