Impact of our support Avoided state costs Providing Mrs Jones with practical £729 and emotional support saved the state money in two ways: We prevented Mrs Jones from needing an ambulance £549 Outcome Our volunteer’s support in Prevented reminding Mrs Jones to take unnecessary her medication over a three-day hospital admission period, along with liaising with her Assumption Inpatient stay social services team for one night to remind her to take her medication promptly, meant her infection was successfully treated and an ambulance transfer due to medication non-compliance was avoided. The unit cost for 1 this is £180 . We prevented Mrs Jones from needing readmission to hospital It is likely that, due to Mrs Jones’ dementia and the fact she was found collapsed, she would have required a hospital stay. We estimate that the length of Mrs Jones Mrs Jones’ hospital stay on readmission would be one night, 2 for which the unit cost is £549 . Overall, the support we delivered to Mrs Jones represents Mrs Jones was diagnosed with to provide her with face-to-face at this difficult time, our volunteer total avoided costs Mrs Jones is a a urinary tract infection and was medication prompting until the also gently encouraged Mrs Jones to to the state of £729. widow in her mid-80s, prescribed tablets for three days. As completion of her treatment. We also participate in some of the communal she suffers from dementia, hospital encouraged Mrs Jones to read the activities offered within the sheltered living in sheltered staff were concerned she would not instructions on the dosette box to accommodation premises. remember to take her medication reduce her anxiety and put her more At the end of this short period of £180 accommodation. and requested assistance from at ease as she could not remember support, Mrs Jones had successfully Outcome the British Red Cross to support being in hospital, or why she was Prevented ambulance She was admitted Mrs Jones in the days following supposed to take the medication. completed her three-day course of call out to hospital after she her discharge from hospital. medication. This effectively dealt Assumption was found collapsed During this period our volunteer with her infection and meant she One transfer A British Red Cross volunteer visited established contact with Mrs Jones’ avoided readmission to hospital. Mrs Jones on the ward to introduce social services team to discuss Our support also gave Mrs Jones 1. National Audit Office (2011), Transforming on the floor. herself, explain the service we were the need for her morning carer to the confidence to consider engaging the NHS ambulance services: presentation to the House of Commons. able to offer, and identify any further prompt her timely medication intake, in some group activities, resulting in www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/ needs she may have which we could which they agreed to do. improvements to both her physical systemsandservices/pathways/news/ fullreport.pdf. The unit cost for ambulance support her in addressing. and mental health. services ranges from £144 to £216, i.e. a Through establishing a good mean unit cost of £180 per call. Our volunteer then visited Mrs Jones relationship with Mrs Jones and 2. PSSRU (2011) Unit costs of health and at home every day for three days providing her with emotional support social care 2011, The University of Kent publications. 6 7