Edinburgh may end care home choice

Older people in Edinburgh may lose the right to choose their care
home if plans to tackle delayed discharge are given the go
ahead.

Under proposals drawn up by Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian,
older people waiting to be discharged from hospital would be
expected to accept a place at any care home six weeks after they
have been cleared for discharge by a consultant until a place
becomes available at the one of their choice.

The new measures will be put before the council’s committee this
week and, if approved, come into force in January. Charity Help the
Aged said the plans would “deprive older people in hospitals of the
opportunity to choose a care home that meets their personal
circumstances”.

Policy officer Stuart Hay said: “While the council may be acting
with the best of intentions, the need to relocate older people from
home to home will impact negatively on the well-being of some
vulnerable older people.”

Chairperson of NHS Lothian Brian Cavanagh said he believed the
proposals were evidence of “even closer working between our
hospital staff and social workers, which will help ensure that NHS
beds are available for people needing treatment”.