Hospital beds in Reading freed up by hotel
The Hotel in south Reading is helping to care for patients who are medically fit but can't go home for various reasons
Last updated 22nd Jan 2021
A hotel in Reading is helping to free up urgently needed beds for Covid patients at the Royal Berkshire hospital.
The scheme organised by Reading borough council has been running for nearly three weeks and in that time more than 100 hospital bed days have been freed up.
Mid December 2020 with COVID infection rates increasing, Reading Borough Council took the decision to support the Berkshire West Health & Social Care system and again set up a Reading Adult Social Care Hospital Discharge Hotel at Holiday Inn Reading South, to facilitate prompt, safe discharges from hospital and free up as many NHS beds as possible to help ease the pressure on the healthcare system.
The temporary hospital discharge service offers an extra resource to support people with care needs who cannot immediately return home after a hospital stay. For example, if a person needs extra support with personal care but their care package cannot be started immediately, or if there are practical issues with their home that need to be resolved – anything which would hold the person in hospital whilst they are fit to leave.
The Hospital Discharge Hotel is not specifically for COVID-19 patients and no known COVID cases will be admitted.
Cllr Tony Jones, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Adult Social Care, said:
“It was clear in December as local infection rates increased we needed to set up the Hospital Discharge Hotel at Holiday Inn South again.
“I would like to say a huge thank you again to the Holiday Inn Reading South and Care 1st Home Care Agency. I am especially proud and grateful to the Council staff who worked tirelessly over Christmas to set up this care option again and who continue to work hard on the frontline ensuring our most vulnerable residents get the care they need to recover.”
Gagan Kumar, General Manager at the Holiday Inn Reading South M4 J11, said:
“We are pleased to be partnering with Reading Borough Council and supporting the NHS and our local community with this vital service once again. Having played a similar role from April until June to alleviate the pressure on beds, we have been well placed to support implementation quickly and it’s been a pleasure to welcome our new guests and their care teams to the hotel.”
Nicky Lloyd, Acting Chief Executive of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“This is a fantastic example of how our local community works in partnership to keep patients supported and safe, beyond their care given directly by the hospital."
“The coronavirus outbreak has put huge demands on all our medical services over the last few months, and initiatives like this one are key to ensuring the smooth running of hospital services, freeing up beds for emergency patients and helping ease the pressure on our teams.”