Care home liaison teams need to get back direct access to medics to help people avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, a town hall meeting heard.
The Care Home Liaison Team had originally been established across Greater Manchester to help support people with cognitive impairments.
But Bolton Council heard last week how now the teams must go through another agency, which has meant delays in some cases.
Cllr Andy Morgan said: “Until recently patients could be referred directly to the team in crisis and the team would do a full assessment, with consultants and medics, and make recommendations to the patients GPs with regards prescriptions and this was done in a really quick manner.
“Unfortunately, the Care Home Liason Team no longer have direct access to the consultants and medics which ultimately means they can no longer ask them for support, which is obviously delaying everything.
“They now must transfer the individuals care to the Older Age Community Mental Health Team which is introducing delays in diagnosis when many of these patients are in crisis resulting in at worst patients being unnecessary admitted to hospital or at best delayed changes to their care packages or medications in a care setting putting even further pressure on carers.”
Cllr Morgan, who co-owns and manages the Bakewell Care Home in Bolton, told the meeting last Wednesday that this has had a real impact on teams working on the ground.
He said: “I had contact from one of the team today basically saying they’ve got no work to do.
“But the old people’s team, they’re overrun and its delayed referrals by about six weeks.”
Cllr Morgan put his question to the council’s executive cabinet member for adults, health and welfare Cllr Linda Thomas, who takes charge of social care.
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She said: “We will make enquiries with the mental health trust and the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System who commission these services to understand what changes they have made to practices.”
She added: “I will also bring this matter for consideration through the health and care locality structure which we are both members of.”
Cllr Thomas said she hoped whatever the outcome she hoped to help continuing to support vulnerable patients.
She said: “And of course we do sincerely thank teams such as the care home liaison teams as I’m sure we all agree they do an excellent job.”
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