Intermediate Care (6 weeks)

BiscuitQueen. So sorry to hear about your mum. My mum was in hospital recently with low potassium. The ward organised an enablement team to call in for 6 weeks they only actually came for 3 weeks as she was doing so well. Unfortunately she has had another bad fall and caught covid whilst in there. The hospital wouldn’t let her home unless she had carers 4 times a day.
I know carers are very thin on the ground at the moment, but she shouldn’t be sent home without adequate care. My mum only seems to spend a couple of weeks in a ward and then is sent to a rehabilitation centre for often months at a time. So far though it’s been successful enough so she can live alone with carers.
Hope your mum improves enough to get home soon 🤞

Thank you for the replies to my post. My Mum was admitted to hospital 2 weeks ago with high potassium levels in her blood. At that point in time she had been waiting 8 weeks for a care package . She was assessed as requiring 4 visits a day. I have been providing full time care for my mum for the 8 weeks since the care needs assessment. Now she is in hospital and I am told the discharge team are responsible for putting a care package in place. Mum had caught covid whilst in hospital but thankfully very mild symptoms at the moment.

Have you spoken to the ward staff?We spoke to the charge nurse who put MIL's care package in place for her leaving hospital ,her 4 visits started the day she came home.Greater Glasgow health authority were fab,though it was different staff every other day which MIL wasn't happy about until she got used to them

I think it may depend on the availability of carers in your area. There is a nationwide shortage of carers, more so in some areas than others. My MIL had carers coming in four times a day, but my FIL had a fall between Xmas and New Yer, which led to him spending some time in hospital. As a result, she had to be admitted to emergency care in a care home, but during that time her care package elapsed (in this area, if you are in a home or hospital for more than 7 days, the package expires), so we are now faced with a situation where she can't come home because there are no carers. A friend of mine is a carer working in the north-west of England and says it's a nightmare because they are so short of staff that the existing carers are run ragged trying to pick up the shortfall.

Apologies for not acknowledging the replies to my original post. Thank you for your comments, all gratefully received.

well it's up to the person in need, unless they do not have capacity to make that decision.
if self funding and they have capacity, social services will probably not get involved, whatever they are meant to do, in terms of carer's assessment. don't hold your breath.
even if not having much money, ss would need to agree on care needs, and then do a financial assessment which is quite complicated, and then will charge the client.
try to make your own arrangements if you can.
blue bird are reputed to be a good agency.
or try to find a private one, self-employed.

I would like to know when it's available (under what circumstances). My friend is really struggling to care for her elderly mother. The mother doesn't want 'strangers' in the house - but I think a crisis of some sort will occur sometime soon.

I would call or email Adult Social Care to ask.

Good luck