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Social landlords are saving the NHS up to £18m a month each through their services for older people, a report has found.
Housing providers helping people out of hospital and into homes are cutting down bed blocking on wards across the country, the Housing Learning and Improvement Network report claims.
One Housing Group’s scheme for older people saves the health service between £400 and £700 a week per person, or between £10m and £18m a month.
More than 30% of housing associations’ residents live with a disability or are over 60, with this figure expected to rise.
The number of patients stranded in hospital surged 31% between 2013 and 2015, according to the National Audit Office. The NHS now spends around £820m a year treating older patients who no longer need to be in hospital.
The report, which was commissioned by the National Housing Federation (NHF), outlines 12 examples of council and housing association care schemes, including special temporary homes, accommodation improvements and therapist or advice services.
Mark Holland, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “If one were to scale up this work it would be massive across the UK. Savings of this magnitude would go a long way towards funding seven-day secondary care.”
Last month, an NHF survey found housing associations have slashed the number of supported housing homes they plan to build by 85% amid uncertainty around welfare reforms.
“Delayed transfers of care come with a huge price tag for the NHS and at a high personal cost for patients. But housing associations have been hard at work,” said Helen Rowbottom, policy officer at the NHF.
“This is an opportunity we mustn’t miss – there is a strong case for scaling up this work. The sector is ready to partner with NHS commissioners to find the best way of doing this and, in the process, reduce pressure on vital but overstretched NHS resources.”
Read our feature on a housing association’s ‘Step Down’ service here.