Patients on Trolleys but Many More unable to go home because Social Services Can’t Cope

Patients on Trolleys but Many More unable to go home because Social Services Can’t Cope The Reality of the NHS Crisis for Formby, Aintree, Maghull and Crosby

Staff from Maghull and relatives from Crosby and Formby have told Sefton Central MP, Bill Esterson their horror stories about patients left on trolleys at Aintree Hospital. Mr Esterson raised his concerns in the House of Commons and told MPs what he had been told by the hospital. But the MP also found out that the bigger problem is of dozens of patients unable to go home from hospital, at great cost to the NHS, all because of cuts to social services.

“The hospital has had patients on trolleys this winter, like so many other hospitals,” said Bill Esterson MP. “But thankfully, the excellent staff have been able to improve matters at the hospital. The bigger problem for Aintree is that there are the equivalent of three wards of patients who are medically fit for discharge but social services are unable to help.

The staff at Aintree and across our NHS are doing all they can. But given the scale of the crisis, it is no wonder that doctors are describing some hospitals as being like a war zone.

One of big reasons for the problems at A&E is because of what has happened to council social services. The fact that the equivalent of three wards of patients are medically fit to leave Aintree hospital shows the scale of the problem. Social care helps prevent older and disabled people from having to go to hospital in the first place and is also crucial in making sure that patients can leave hospital and go home or go to a nursing or care home. The Conservative/Lib-Dem government cut £4.6 billion from social care and this cut explains why so many people are stuck in hospital. Patients in hospital cost more to the NHS than when they are cared for at home or in a care home, so it saves money to invest in social care. That’s one reason why it was so short-sighted of the government to cut council budgets. But of course, the other reason is that it means there are not the beds, the staff or the space to treat new patients. The high cost of care in hospitals also means there is less money for GP surgeries as well.

The government says it has given councils more money, but it promised Sefton Council £9 million and has given less than £1 million. The government has cut the budget and there is no one available to help patients ready to go home. It really is that simple.

There is a crisis in our NHS and Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn was quite right to demand that the Conservative Prime Minister, Theresa May instruct her Health Secretary to intervene to protect patients.

I live in Maghull with my family and like everyone in Aintree, Melling, Maghull, Lydiate, Crosby and Formby, we know from personal experience, how good our NHS has been over the years and have had excellent care at Aintree, Southport and Ormskirk. Everyone in this area expects our NHS to be protected by the government so that it is there when we need it.

But the Conservatives and Lib-Dems cut social care and they should reverse those cuts. The government also needs to set out its plan about what it will do to protect our NHS and social care in the longer term and on behalf of the people of Aintree, Melling, Maghull, Lydiate, Crosby and Formby, I will be challenging the government to do just that.”