Portsmouth City Council welcomes chance to work with other groups on A&E board

Portsmouth City Council is part of the A&E Delivery Board as it provides social care for people across the city.

It looks at what care packages people leaving hospital might need, from installing hand rails to organising carers to make visits.

As previously reported in The News, the board ismade up of organisations including clinical commissioning groups, Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Its aim is to relieve the pressures facing urgent care at Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, by getting organisations to work 
closer together and more efficiently.

Angela Dryer, Portsmouth City Council’s deputy director of adult services, said: ‘Social care has an important role to play for some, but not all, patients who are in hospital.

‘We welcome the chance to contribute to the board and work closely with the other organisations represented.

‘It is building on work we’ve already been doing, to make sure that all partners are talking to each other and that residents have the right support and the most appropriate services when they leave hospital.’

As part of recent work from the board, a new Integrated Discharge Service has been created.

Ms Dryer added: ‘Our social workers work with health professionals, including nurses and therapy staff.

‘The discharge service brings professionals together to make sure individual patients get an appropriate assessment.

‘It uses all the expert information available to decide if someone is able to go home, and what needs they have when they do go home.

‘It’s all about discharging people appropriately, therefore reducing the need to re-admit people to hospital, while ensuring they are safe, have as much independence as possible, and have the support they need to achieve that level of independence.’

The A&E Delivery Board has replaced the Systems Resilience Group and clinicians from a range of trusts will look at care provided in the area.