Hospitals to face financial penalties for readmissions
Published 8 June 2010
Hospitals will face financial penalties if patients are readmitted as an emergency within 30 days of being discharged, Andrew Lansley said yesterday (Monday, 07 June 2010).
In his first major speech as the new health secretary, Lansley said that hospitals in England will be paid for initial treatment but not paid again if a patient is brought back in with a related problem.
Acting Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Society comment:
Ruth Sutherland
'Hospital fines for inappropriate readmissions are a welcome incentive to ensure people receive the quality care they deserve. If we are to put an end to the shocking revolving door care delivered by many hospitals, the focus must be on quality and providing people with the right 'after care' to allow them to remain independent in the community.
'People with dementia occupy a quarter of hospital beds and yet a recent Alzheimer's Society report found that the majority leave hospital in worse health than when they arrived. As we watch the number of people with dementia rise to a million in the next 15 years, training and support in dementia is urgently needed.'
Acting Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society
