Reserving inpatient care in major hospitals for life-threatening conditions or complex surgery would make better use of NHS resources, according to the NHS Confederation.
‘Transforming local care', a paper from the NHS Confederation's Community Health Services Forum, says there is an emerging consensus that limiting larger hospitals' care to specialist treatment for the acutely ill could significantly improve both patient experience and clinical outcomes, as well as make the NHS more efficient.
It argues that the NHS and the public need to shift their 'default setting' for delivering healthcare from hospitals to the community and the home.
The NHS Confederation is calling on the Government and the NHS Commissioning Board to facilitate the necessary change by ensuring health and social care funding supports the transfer of care into community settings.
Jo Webber, interim director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: "Changing how we think and respond to circumstances is never easy, but never before has the scale of change required been like that currently facing the health and social care system.
"For too long, the default setting when we think about health care or support is to think of a hospital. But in reality, acute hospitals - whether major teaching sites or local district generals - are rarely the best place for someone who needs ongoing health or treatment."
