Care chief says woman waiting five months in hospital for care home place is 'victim of a system not joined up'

Care England has warned that we may see more cases like that of 89-year-old Iris Sibley, who spent five months at Bristol Royal Infirmary, because a suitable care home could not be found for her.

Mrs Sibley, who has dementia, was admitted to hospital in August after a fall at a care home. However after recovering from the fall, Bristol Community Health, which assessed her as needing around the clock nursing care, was unable to find her another care home until the New Year.

Mrs Sibley's son, John Sibley, criticized the care system as being “loaded towards private patients” because they are able to pay more than local authorities, giving them priority and more choice. He also claimed that despite the hospital staff being “wonderful”, his mother’s mental and physical health deteriorated while at Bristol Royal Infirmary as she didn’t have the human interaction that she had at her care home.

'Victim of a system that is not joined up'

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents independent care homes, warned that we may see more cases like this. He said: “Mrs Sibley is a victim of a system that is not joined up, is starved of financial resources, and where there is no strategic plan from the Government about how we are going to support people with comorbidities in later life.”

He added that her case is a “symptom of systemic failure, and a personal tragedy”.

The cost of keeping Mrs Sibley on the ward at Bristol Royal Infirmary, totalled more than £80,000.

'Extremely sorry'

In a joint statement, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, South Gloucestershire CCG, which funds placements, and Bristol Community Health (BCH), which assesses funding and sources placements, said: “We understand how frustrating and upsetting it can be for patients and their families when their discharge is delayed and are extremely sorry when any patient is kept in hospital any longer than they need to be.

“Although a local nursing home has now been found for Mrs Sibley, she should have been discharged from hospital much sooner and we are working together to review her case and understand the reasons for the delay.

“Among these, it’s clear that the availability of suitable nursing home placements is an important factor. Like many areas of the country we have a growing population of older people with multiple, complex health and social care needs and at times finding a suitable placement that provides both the appropriate level of care and is within acceptable distance of the family home, can be a challenge.”

The Trust, the CCG and BCH added that they are working together to shift more resources into community health and social care in order to support people when they are ready to leave hospital and to help avoid the crises and injuries that can lead to emergency hospital admissions in the first place.

Struggle to find a care home

Bristol Community Health revealed that 24 care homes were contacted while Mrs Sibley was in hospital but they were either full, were not suitable for her nursing needs and were too far away from her family.

The Local Government Association estimates there will be a £2.6bn funding gap in providing adult social care in England by 2020. This lack of funding has led to care home closures with 380 care homes declared insolvent since 2010, according to the Insolvency Service.

Some 41 per cent of residents in independent care homes are now paying the full cost of their own care. Self-funders on average pay between £603-£827 a week, compared to councils paying between £421-£624 a week because councils can use their buying power as block purchasers to drive down the prices they pay.