THE number of monthly hospital admissions from care homes has dropped by almost half over the last three years, it has been revealed.
The South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership Trust (SWYPT) say the significant decline - which has been recorded from January 2022 to January 2025 - can be attributed to work with the organisations’s partners.
The reduction in hospital admissions follows the implementation of several work programmes involving GP practices, Barnsley Health Care Federation, Barnsley Hospital, Barnsley Council, and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS).
A key aspect of this success has been attributed to the the virtual ward frailty and respiratory pathways launched in October 2022, which is jointly delivered by SWYPT and Barnsley Hospital.
This service provides acute level care for patients in care homes and within their own homes, allowing them to receive necessary medical attention in familiar surroundings.
From its launch in October 2022 through to December 2024, the virtual ward pathways have supported 2,790 patients.
In addition to the virtual ward initiative, there is further support offered to care home staff that includes training from an education and training co-ordinator.
This training includes helping staff to recognise deteriorating health conditions in patients and knowing when to refer or seek help via RightCare Barnsley or their GP surgery.
RightCare Barnsley is a single point of access that is jointly delivered by Barnsley Hospital and the trust, providing a range of functions including accepting and processing referrals, providing advice and guidance to patients and health professionals, and triaging patient referrals to ensure they are seen by the right professional in the right setting.
A spokesperson told the Chronicle: “RightCare Barnsley nurses provide daily calls to care homes in Barnsley to provide advice, guidance and coordinate necessary support.
“Our Urgent Community Response service aims to address urgent clinical conditions within two hours of referral, responding to over 1,800 referrals from residential and nursing care homes between April 2024 and January 2025.
“South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is teaming up with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, their physical health services and RightCare Barnsley.
“They are working together to develop innovative pathways that Yorkshire Ambulance Service can access to connect with specialised care teams, including our breathe respiratory specialist nurses, the Urgent Community Response nursing and therapy teams during emergencies.
“The aim is to make communication and care options easier during emergencies to help prevent unnecessary ambulance call-outs or the need to convey to hospital.”
Overall, the new initiatives have resulted in the monthly number of care home hospital admissions dropping by 49 per cent over the most recent three-year period.
Gill Stansfield, director of services at the trust, added: “The main focus of all these efforts is to assist a greater number of people to stay in their own homes or places of residence while ensuring they have robust care plans in place, that align with their own and their families’ wishes.’’
‘‘All our services exemplify the commitment to keeping patients at home while ensuring they receive the medical attention they require.
“Additionally, it is important to know that hospital care is available for people who require it, along with comprehensive support from community and primary care teams after they leave hospital.’’
