Frailty Programme launched in Gwent

2010-01-31 19:14:11

A new programme is being launched in Gwent to help vulnerable people in the area to stay in their homes rather than being admitted to hospital or care homes. A similar scheme has been running in Torfaen for several years and has been very successful in reducing admissions for frail, elderly patients. The Gwent Frailty Programme has an initial budget of £17 million to spend on preventive care services, such as ‘hospital at home’, which will be delivered by community teams from the health and social services. The project’s cost should be covered by the savings made from the reduced hospital and care home admissions that will result from the scheme. Its overall aim is to enable frail people to be ‘happily independent’ in their own homes by providing the support and practical aids to make this possible, 365 days a year. Gwent’s local newspaper, the South Wales Argus, welcomes the programme: ‘We...know that too many older people have been marooned in hospital wards and described as bed blockers simply because of the lack of suitable alternatives. The proposed frailty programme seems to us the ideal way to look after patients who do not need to be treated urgently in hospital. ‘