One such measure is the temporary opening of 40 ‘discharge-to-assess’ beds at Cheadle Community Hospital over winter. This is being done in a phased way, with the first phase taking place on 1 December when patients on Haywood Hospital’s Grange Ward will be transferred to Cheadle Hospital. This will create extra capacity to enable patients to be discharged from Royal Stoke University Hospital in the most timely way.
Discharge-to-assess beds allow people who do not require an acute hospital bed, but may still require care services to be provided with short term, funded support in a community setting. An assessment to determine the longer-term care and support needs of the patient is then undertaken in the most appropriate place and at the right time.
The beds at Cheadle will be managed and run by Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT). MPFT has vacancies for registered nurses, healthcare support workers and allied health professionals at Cheadle and Haywood hospitals. These positions are offered on a full or part time basis, with fixed term and permanent contracts available.
Neil Carr, MPFT Chief Executive said: “As the NHS provider of community health and care services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, we have a significant role to play in supporting the wider system throughout winter. We’ve committed to recruiting individuals to allow us to open extra beds at Cheadle Community Hospital, to support colleagues at UHNM with the flow of patients out of acute care and back into the community.
“Working in our community hospitals offers a pleasant, high value environment for staff and I’d encourage anyone looking to get into health care services locally to take advantage of the range of opportunities that MPFT can offer.”
Jennie Collier, Managing Director of MPFT’s Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Care Group which manages Haywood and Cheadle community hospitals added: “We are committed to supporting our health and care partners during what we anticipate will be a challenging winter. I’m enormously proud of our community hospital staff and we are working hard to strengthen the team.
“We offer flexibility around where and when clinical staff work, alongside exciting career progression and development opportunities.”
You can find out more about the roles available at Haywood and Cheadle hospitals at Community Hospital Recruitment: Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (mpft.nhs.uk)
If you need help or support this winter, contact NHS111 first. They will direct you to the most appropriate service.