Major contract approved to prevent bed blocking

A £40.7m contract which aims to help patients leave hospital sooner and easing pressure on the NHS has been awarded in Kent.

HCRG Care Group will take over Medway Community Healthcare's (MCH) intermediate care and reablement service under a five-year agreement, approved by Medway Council in April.

The service aims to support people to regain independence after illness or injury, allowing them to remain in their own homes wherever possible.

The local authority said that the move would help tackle "bed blocking", where patients remained in hospital because they could not be safely discharged.

It added that the issue had placed "significant pressure" on Medway Maritime Hospital, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Teresa Murray, portfolio holder for public health, said that the contract, jointly funded by the authority and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), would "ease the strain".

"This contract is crucial to our ongoing work in Medway on prevention – helping people maintain their health and independence for longer," she added.

"This will improve their quality of life, which will in turn help to relieve the burden on the NHS."

Other services will include home visits from health professionals to help with everyday tasks and provide tailored exercises to rebuild strength and confidence.

HCRG, formerly known as Virgin Care, already provides similar services in Dartford, Gravesham and Swale.

It is due to take over the Medway service in October.

The council said that patients would see no immediate changes and care would continue to be delivered by the same staff during the transition.

It added that a total of 71 jobs would be transferred to the new provider as part of the agreement.

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