A hospital discharge service is working at record levels and is saving the NHS almost £500,000 a year.

The Stoke-on-Trent based Revival Hospital Discharge service took on a record 90 new clients in one month, visited 183 clients at the hospital bedside or at home during July and is responsible for 196 ongoing cases.

The Staffordshire Housing Group service aims to enable people to get home from hospital as quickly as possible by making sure their homes meet their health needs.

Lisa Bridgwood, Revival Caseworker said: “Every month people are forced to stay in hospital because their homes are not in a suitable condition for them to return to.

“This can be a great source of distress to the patients involved and means vital hospital beds cannot be freed up for new patients.”

Experts say it costs £200 a night to keep one person in hospital.

The Hospital Discharge team work with Revival’s home improvement service to ensure patients are assessed and their homes are fit for needs.

Residents can often be found temporary accommodation by Staffordshire Housing Association while their homes are being repaired and made fit for their return.

Using the £200 a night figure for a hospital stay and making the modest calculation that the Hospital Discharge service cuts the average stay for its clients by one night, it can be shown that the service saved the NHS at least £39,200 in July. This equates to £470,400 a year.

ENDS

For media enquiries contact Sarah Pye or Sandra Barber at Staffordshire Housing Association on 01782 744533.

Notes to Editors:

Staffordshire Housing Group is committed to building a better future for local communities.  The group’s parent organisation, Staffordshire Housing Association, has around 3,000 homes for rent and sale, including three older people’s villages, and offers a range of tenant services. Revival Home Improvement Agency works with older and vulnerable home owners to help them stay warm, secure and independent in well-maintained homes. Blue Mountain Housing Association works closely with refugees to provide essential support and help with access to healthcare, education, training and employment.  Since April 2012, Hanley-based charity Arch has been part of the group. Arch provides accommodation and support services to people in need, including survivors of domestic violence, ex-offenders and young people leaving care.