PLANS to cope with increased hospital admissions over the winter in Gwent will include additional beds, returning patients home and boosting vaccinations.
But there is uncertainty around additional funding from the Welsh Government with the area’s Aneurin Bevan University Health Board having warned it faces “significant financial pressures”.
Extra cost realised as a result of plans to address winter pressures, with respiratory illnesses expected to peak in December and January, will have to be met from within the board’s budget but steps such as less reliance on agency staff could help.
Hannah Evans, the board’s director of planning, said rather than taking “lots of actions” as had been intended last year it wants to focus on what will have the greatest impact.
Those will include a vaccination programme for staff and residents, the management of “high risk” patients in the community to try and avoid them having to be admitted to hospital, triaging “priority patients” at hospital such as those who’ve fallen and additional beds.
A report for the health board’s September meeting stated it is likely to require an additional two wards of bed capacity, which could be as many as 40 beds, but it was noted there could be financial and staffing constraints to achieving that. Consideration will also have to be given to the potential impact if beds have to be closed to prevent infections.
Public Health Wales
Ms Evans said the board is also waiting on the latest updated modelling on the likely impact of winter respiratory infections, such as RSV, the flue and Covid-19, from Public Health Wales.
The NHS board is also working with Gwent’s five unitary authorities, which are responsible for providing social care, as part of the plan. Last year the winter plan was supported with additional funding from the Welsh Government and a pooled fund with local councils.
The report said any additional money from the board’s own budget would have to be approved “at executive level given the financial position of the organisation in 2025/26.”
Independent board member, Raglan county councillor Penny Jones, asked if the Welsh Government was planning a similar initiative to its ‘50 Day Challenge’, which provided additional funding to address heightened demand on hospitals last winter and reduce the number of patients staying in hospital longer than necessary.
Cllr Jones also said late notification of funding from the Welsh Government causes difficulties: “It is always left to the last minute and then it’s impossible to use correctly.”
Ms Evans said the board had achieved its targets under the challenge last year and said that continued beyond the 50 day period.
The winter plan was approved by the board.