In and out of hospital 13 A lack of resources The Red Cross volunteers and staff we spoke “ [T]hey call it bed nine and three quarters, like to are increasingly seeing referrals of people Harry Potter. So you’ve got three beds in with more complex and higher-level needs. a row, they’ll squidge them all up and stick Our own staff and volunteers have told us another one in between. So, one person about increased difficulty signposting people won’t even have a curtain, a call bell, oxygen to appropriate support. if they need it, and that’s the situation we’re “ Our staff and volunteers are not bedside- facing at the moment and that’s going to befriending, tea-and-sympathy any more, happen this winter again, easily.” it’s really… quite high level stuff these days.” A&E nurse, Bradford Red Cross team member Our focus groups with health and social care Our volunteers and staff are seeing people professionals revealed the ripple effect the deteriorate because of restrictive criteria pressures on adult social care services are in accessing support. People can receive having on the whole system. A lack of differential care based not only on where they capacity in the community is piling pressure live but also on their age or condition. on to hospitals, resulting in a lack of available Red Cross staff and volunteers also reflected beds and ultimately affecting patient flow in the lack of services available to people aged its entirety. between 40-60 years old with lower to Faced with such pressures they also report moderate levels of needs. being less and less able to provide the “ Sometimes, those that don't quite fit in, it person-centred care their patients require. seems as if they get passed around the “ I think it [person-centred care] pays off in the houses. By the time they show up at your long run from the community worker’s point service, they have already been to three or of view that, even though it does take a bit four others that haven't been appropriate.” longer doing it this way, hopefully they won’t Red Cross team member bounce back and reuse the service over and over again because you’ve empowered them A greater focus on preventing and taught them how to self-manage.” people reaching crisis point Community nurse, Bradford Health and care professionals would like to They also spoke about how patients are see a greater focus on prevention and believe routinely falling through the gaps that exist that the system currently only responds when between hospital departments, and between someone has reached crisis point. hospitals and social care services. “ We often find so many times that we are “ It's responsibility tennis, isn't it, a lot of the literally having to let it get to the worst point time. Interdepartmental within the hospital, in somebody’s life for somebody to actively it's over to you, responsibility, back to you, intervene or do something.” back – that's what it is, isn't it? People think Community nurse, London and work insularly. All they're interested in is their bit, once their bit's done they can sit Our health and care professionals also back in their chair and think okay, I've done mentioned how pressure on social care staff my bit. Everything works by link. It's like Lego, and facilities mean that there is no effective everything works by putting things together.” strategy for ensuring existing conditions do Paramedic, Manchester not worsen.