The service frees up bed spaces in hospital
Peterborough City Council’s ruling cabinet has agreed to renew a service which entitles local hospital patients to receive vital support following their discharge from hospital care.
At a meeting on Tuesday, February 10, the cabinet approved plans that will enable the Discharge Support Service – which has been in place since 2017 – to continue operating out of Peterborough City Hospital.
Councillor Neil Boyce (Peterborough First), Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, presented the proposal to Cabinet. “The paper seeks approval from Cabinet to award the contract for delivery of Peterborough City Council’s Discharge Support Service to The British Red Cross Society,” he said.
The proposal to recommission was taken following assessments which concluded the Discharge Support Service was “valuable and impactful.”
Cllr Boyce said: “This service enables those discharged from Peterborough City Hospital to re-settle appropriately in their own home via a variety of tasks for a period of up to six weeks.”
These tasks include:
- Transport home/or to a care setting from hospital;
- Post-discharge support for up to six weeks if needed;
- Telephone support/welfare check-ins;
- Collecting prescriptions;
- Shopping and food parcels;
- Delivering small equipment from hospital to home;
- Mobility aids;
- Triage service into the local voluntary sector and local information for the Peterborough area.
The councillor insisted these provisions helped “increase the independence and well-being of those who use the service”.
The Peterborough First councillor for Glinton and Castor went on to explain the expected length of the new contract, saying it will be “commencing on 1st May 2026 for an initial period of three years with the option to extend for a further two years”.
The current contract for this service, which was awarded in May 2023, ends on 30 April 2026.
The report stated the Discharge Support Service will cost a combined maximum value of £740,209 (£148,041 per year) over the course of five years.
Figures provided by the Department of Health and Social Care estimate likely savings of somewhere between £189,750 and £356,250 each year. Vital bed space needed for newly admitted patients would also be increased as a result.
The Discharge Support Service is available for all adults aged 18 discharged from Peterborough City Hospital.