The government is considering how the private health sector can help ease the NHS bed shortage. Jeannette Page explains what such a partnership will entail, and why it is being considered. Using private nursing homes in partnership with the NHS for elderly patients.
Hospitals now operate at close to full capacity.
A decade ago, around 75 per cent of beds in emergency wards were regularly occupied. Today the figure is 95 per cent. Most areas have lost 40 per cent of acute beds since 1982. The government thinks a partnership could ease the bed-blocking problem. This is due to elderly patients staying in a hospital bed because they are not well enough to look after themselves at home.