A investigation from the Pulse has revealed that dramatic cuts to social care budgets are placing practices under mounting pressure, with GP’s being forced to refer patients into hospital care due to the lack of capacity in primary and community services.

The services most affected are council-funded physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, elderly care and mental health services following an average 4.7% cut in council social care budgets across England. With a reduction in these services, GP practises are often left with an increased demand which they cannot cope with.

It also appears that key services for vulnerable patients including legal aid, welfare services and public health campaigns are also being hit.

Manchester City Council this month become the latest authority to announce millions of pounds of social care cuts, with services for the elderly, disabled, mentally ill and victims of domestic violence hit by a fresh round of cuts totalling £8.6 million.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, GP and chair of the British Medical Association stated cuts to services like home help and support for carers of vulnerable patients were already having a significant knock-on effect on other services. He cites examples of hospital admissions increasing due to a reduction in resources being made available, also implying that some patients are being treated in an inappropriate or geographically distant setting.

It is believed that cuts to public health campaigns and recreational activities will ultimately have a long-term impact on the NHS. “The squeeze on social care is adding pressure on the health system” Dr Meldrum said.

Where the cuts are being made:

1. Gateshead Council to limit elderly care to ‘critical only’ services to save an estimated £10m
2. Leeds Mental health crisis centre closed earlier this year, as council faced £90m spending cuts
3. Nottinghamshire Citizens Advice Bureau services report 60% cut in council funding
4. South London Connexions service offering employment support decommissioned across six boroughs, with one also axing speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapist posts

The resounding feeling from GP’s is that is a result of fewer community services, vulnerable patients such as the elderly are finding it increasingly more difficult to be cared for in their own homes or a setting which is convenient for them.

Whilst community services are essential for ensuring that patient choice is fully catered for, departments may often have difficulties in justifying their contribution both financially and with regard to patient outcomes, meaning that they can often be the first target of cuts. Trusts with domiciliary care services could therefore seek to implement an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system like Therapy Manager which enables clinicians to create secure offline databases of patient records for easy community travel. Effective utilisation of mobile technologies coupled with an EPR can help to ensure that clinicians are provided with the tools to perform to the highest standards, which will help to streamline working processes, reduce costs and ultimately improve the patient experience. Activity recording and reporting on performance and finance can also highlight exactly where costs are being incurred, ensuring that cuts are only targeted to the relevant areas.

Original Source Pulse Today

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.