Hundreds of elderly patients could be missing out on care (South West Surrey Liberal Democrats)

South West Surrey Liberal Democrats <info@swsurreylibdems.org.uk>

Hundreds of elderly patients could be missing out on care

July 17, 2004 12:20 AM

Simon Cordon has been asking searching questions of the health trust

Simon Cordon is uncovering what he describes as 'alarming facts' that will show that many elderly people leaving the Royal Surrey are being denied services that would allow them to eventually return to their own homes.

Simon, who has put forward a plan to expand services at the specialist rehabilitation Milford Hospital, says he is concerned that elderly people are being transferred to nursing homes unnecessarily because the "wrong doctors decide who is suited for rehabilitation and who is not".

Simon says that the best consultants to make the decision are the geriatricians who manage care at Milford Hospital. "I am certain they are not properly involved and it is the specialist acute consultant at the Royal Surrey who decides whether a patient could benefit from rehabilitation. I am not in anyway critical of the Royal Surrey specialists, but their expertise is in dealing with the acute condition not in determining whether a very frail patient has the potential of a successful rehabilitation spell at Milford. Only the Milford experts know that and I am convinced that if they made the assessments and decisions more patients would be recommended for rehab at Milford and would successfully be able to return to their own home".

At the Board Meeting of the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust (PCT) today Simon asked for statistics to support his view. He wanted a comparison of the number of patients who leave the Royal Surrey for nursing care with elsewhere and he asked how many referrals to Milford Hospital are made by the rehabilitation experts rather than the acute condition specialists.

"I was given neither statistic but a somewhat woolly answer that meant nothing. I am concerned that this basic data is being withheld because it will demonstrate that the number of beds at Milford should be expanded not reduced or closed altogether", added Simon.

Simon is now meeting with PCT Director of Operations, Lesley Forrester, this Monday (July 19th) at Milford Hospital to press for the answers and explain how important this information is as part of the PCT's current review of Milford Hospital's future. "I am convinced that this information will show that we must expand services at Milford Hospital. It is important the PCT is not able to avoid providing these crucial facts", Simon said.