Hospital-based care 'must change'

The NHS in England must end the "hospital-or-bust" attitude to medical care, says the body representing health service trusts. At least one in four patients would be better off being treated by NHS staff at home, figures suggest.2012 will be a key year for the NHS as it tries to make £20bn in efficiency savings by 2015, according to the head of the NHS Confederation, Mike Farrar.Ministers say modernising the NHS will safeguard its future.Mr Farrar said: "Hospitals play a vital role but we do rely on them for some services which could be provided elsewhere."We should be concentrating on reducing hospital stays where this is right for patients, shifting resources into community services, raising standards of general practice, and promoting early intervention and self-care. "There is a value-for-money argument for doing this, but it is not just about money and the public need to be told that - this is about building an NHS for the future."Mr Farrar said the required changes included treating frail people in their homes, and minimising hospital stays wherever possible.Politicians and NHS leaders must show the public how these changes could improve care, rather than focusing on fears over the closure of hospital services, he added.Commenting on the new year message from the NHS Confederation, Health Minister Simon Burns said in a statement: "Modernising the NHS will both safeguard the future of our health service, and will deliver a world-class service that puts patients at the heart of everything it does." The chair of the independent NHS Future Forum, Steve Field, said: "The old hospital-based system has to develop into a more preventative, community-based system."