Why the Government needs to work more closely with for-profit care and health providers to tackle the current NHS crisis

The situation is particularly acute at the moment with pressure on the NHS being described as “intolerable and unsustainable”, by the British Medical Association.

With this in mind we believe the Government should be taking a more holistic approach to tackling this crisis.

They need everyone around the table on this, including for-profit providers who have the potential to play a crucial role.

Everyone recognises beds at home, and earlier discharge into the community, works better for patients and is a more cost-effective solution.

If you consider the spiralling costs of patients being unnecessarily stuck in hospitals and of ambulances forced to queue, because of the growing lack of hospital bed capacity, it’s obvious improving community care provision is crucial.

Homecare is an under-recognised partner in the healthcare ecosystem. Private providers play an important role in offering choice and being able to respond to needs with more agility.

On top of this, better-trained care professionals can become a critical support network to the NHS, to free up capacity for those who truly need it.

We are working hard to truly professionalise the role of our caregiving workforce, with enhanced training for specialist diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s, in addition to clinical training to help designate more health tasks in the home.

With more than 12,000 care professionals employed, we’re upskilling our workforce for future careers that will play a vital role in the healthcare system of the future.

Home Instead provides tailor-made, flexible care at home for the elderly to enable everybody to live independently at home regardless of their age, including in Mansfield and Retford and Gainsborough.