NHS hospital drops Airbnb-style plan to tackle bed shortage

An NHS hospital has backed out of an Airbnb-style scheme to rent spare rooms in people’s houses for patients not well enough to go home.

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust says it doesn’t intend to take part in the pilot “at this time” as it could compromise the safety and quality of patient care, The Independent reports.

The news comes amid reports about an NHS pilot plan involving various councils in Essex that would see patients billeted in strangers’ homes to tackle chronic hospital bed shortages. According to The Guardian, CareRooms, a start-up company, is working with the NHS and councils to finalise the plans.

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So-called “bed-blocking” - the long-term occupation of hospital beds, due to a shortage of suitable care elsewhere - has risen by 40% since 2016 and is estimated to result in as many as 8,000 deaths a year.

But while supporters of the pilot project say it will help ease beds shortages, critics have voiced fears about patient safety.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services told The Daily Telegraph that the plan “raised questions” about patient well-being.

The Care Quality Commission said it would be contacting CareRooms to determine whether the service falls under the “scope of regulation”.

Labour shadow social care minister Barbara Keeley called the idea “terrifying” and said it presented “clear safety risks”.

“The Tories’ care crisis is now so bad that private homeowners are being asked to help dig them out of it,” Keeley told Metro.

Under the pilot, homeowners can earn up to £1,000 a month to cook and care for patients recovering from minor procedures. Hosts would be subject to regular checks and would have to live up to food hygiene training standards. The trial is expected to include 30 patients awaiting discharge from hospitals.