Care workers are set to be trained to carry out NHS health checks – in a bid to slash long waiting lists
Care workers will be trained to perform routine health checks – including blood pressure – in an attempt to slash NHS waiting lists by reducing unnecessary trips to the doctor.
Staff will be given the right to deliver health interventions in order to speed up access to routine care and prevent a further increase in the health service’s backlog of cases.
The move would also include wound care, administering insulin for diabetes patients and supporting those with mental health to a crisis plan.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the move would free up hospital beds and ensure people ‘won’t be forced to repeat themselves over and over again’ to different healthcare staff.
Ministers are also set to draw up national standards and guidelines for care bosses to help them invest in the best technology to support patients.
The measures are part of both adult social care reforms set to be announced in more detail tomorrow as well as the wider plan to further integrate the NHS and social care sector.
Ministers will work with the health service to create a digital platform for sharing data between social care, GP and hospital staff and hope for all care providers to be fully digitised by 2029. This would allow staff to have full access to all medical information.
Mr Streeting said: ‘There is a revolution taking place in health and care technology, and this government is reforming social care so disabled and older people benefit from the latest cutting-edge tech.
Care workers will be trained to perform routine health checks – including blood pressure – in an attempt to slash NHS waiting lists by reducing unnecessary trips to the doctor
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said the move is part of a revolution of the health sector in this country
‘Patients won’t be forced to repeat themselves over and over again, staff will be equipped to deliver the best possible care and it will help free up hospital beds.’
Cutting NHS waiting lists has been a consistent theme in the Prime Minister’s ‘Plan for Change’ – Sir Keir has pledged that 92 per cent of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment by 2029.
But he has been accused of failing to act on the nation’s social care crisis during Labour’s first six months in government.
Technology has also been at the forefront of the PM’s proposed health reforms. He has vowed to create a ‘digital NHS’, with ministers drawing up plans to allow different health services to share patient data and reduce waste.
Dr Vin Diwakar, national director of transformation at NHS England, said: ‘Research shows digitising social care and linking up records enables people to live independently for longer and families to participate in caregiving, as well as releasing staff from time-consuming administrative tasks to free up more time to care.
‘This new focus will ensure teams are supported to deliver the best possible care and that patients can benefit from the latest innovations.’
Procurement will also play its part in helping tackle health issues in care homes at source. Officials say sensor-based technology and detection technologies can significantly reduce patient falls, allowing people to live independently for longer.
They claim new national standards will allow care providers and families to have the most up-to-date information on the latest and safest market products, too.
