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Get loved ones home for Xmas
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS) is asking local people to help loved ones return home from hospital in time for the holidays.
Health and care staff work together on a daily basis to help everyone leave hospital when they are medically ready to. But sometimes people face obstacles when it comes to returning home – and local communities can help to reduce these for the people they care about.
People who have a loved one in hospital can support them to come home when they are medically ready to by following a number of simple tips. You can prepare the home of the person you care about by making sure their house is warm enough for them to return, and stocking up on essentials like food, non-alcoholic drinks, and medicine. Please consider whether you can offer your loved one a car ride home or arrange their transport, and bring clean, comfortable clothing to the hospital so that they’ve got something ready to go when they’re fit to leave hospital.
Dr Fiona Head, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough (part of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICS) said:
“Our health and care teams work around the clock to make sure people who need to be in hospital over the festive period are as comfortable as possible. But we know that some of the people we’re currently looking after in our local hospitals are medically ready to go home and don't need to be in hospital over the Christmas holiday.
“That’s why we’re renewing our call to friends, family and loved ones of people who are medically fit to leave hospital to work alongside our health and care staff to help the people they care about as they prepare to return home. By taking some simple actions you can make the discharge process as easy as possible for the person you care for, helping us get as many people as possible home safely in time for festive celebrations over the coming weeks.
“Helping people who are medically fit to return home for the holidays not only benefits the individual and their family, it also means that there are more hospital beds available for those who do need urgent and emergency care over the festive season.”