Thousands of patients with head or spinal injuries are transferred out of specialist units too early or treated in the wrong type of hospital ward, the Department of Health admitted yesterday.
More than half the 7,000 patients needing surgery for traumatic or serious injury in England each year receive inappropriate care, according to the new NHS service framework for up to 17 million people with long-term health conditions.
Half of all deaths among the under-40s result from serious head injuries, which kill nearly one in three of those who suffer them. The department believes this toll can be sharply reduced by having national standards of care, including prompt specialist treatment and more critical care beds.
One million patients a year go to accident and emergency departments with head injuries, and 420,000 patients under 65 have long-term problems as a result of neurological damage.
The new rules, which will take 10 years to implement, should also mean vastly improved services for 8 million people with migraines, the 400,000 with epilepsy, and millions who have diseases as diverse as Parkinson’s, diabetes, asthma and stroke.
Stephen Ladyman, the health minister, said the changes amounted to “a complete redesign of the way health and social services work in this country”.
Better recognition and diagnosis, rehabilitation of patients, including helping them to find work, more support for family carers and adaptations to homes, as well as new requirements on pal liative care form a package that Mr Ladyman insists will have a “modest” net cost to the NHS. He said local NHS trusts had sufficient funds for this until at least 2008. Investing in flexible care and support would help people to live more independently and be more cost-effective.
The rules insist on far more dignity for patients with long-term conditions who need hospital treatment for other medical reasons.
Mr Ladyman spoke of his mother’s experience. “She went into hospital for a completely unrelated thing, then there was not sufficient attention given to her Parkinson’s medication and her Parkinson’s deteriorated. It is absolutely vital that we retrain the way our staff think to make sure that when people with long-term conditions go into hospital they are still treated as individuals.”
James Meikle, health correspondent
Friday March 11, 2005
Guardian
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