Patients of the Royal Alexandra Hospital are being given food and fuel vouchers to allow them to be discharged from hospital as the full extent of the cost-of-living crisis is laid bare.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has confirmed it is offering people support with energy bills and food in a bid to help them recover from ill health at home and free up beds for patients waiting in A&E.
The health board told the Paisley Daily Express this week that its new energy crisis response service is targeted at patients receiving care in acute and mental health services.
However support will be made available for anyone in crisis.
The initiative sees ward staff identify patients who need help with home energy costs so that they can return home safely without the worry of living in a cold, damp home and the health complications that come with that.
Not only supporting the wellbeing of patients, the service will also free up hospital beds by getting people home more quickly.
Anna Baxendale, head of health improvement at NHSGGC, said: “Fuel bills are a huge challenge for all of us at the moment, but for some patients fuel poverty is such a significant issue that when there is no power on at home we cannot allow them home, even if they are ready for discharge.
“That is why this new service is so important.
“As well as addressing the physical and psychological needs of patients, it allows us to get patients home more quickly if they are ready to do so.
“I would like to thank all staff who have referred patients to the service, and encourage everyone within NHSGGC to make use of it if they feel a patient could benefit from our help on discharge.”
The service aims to tackle immediate energy emergencies, advocate on behalf of patients with energy providers and help with access to external home energy emergency funds.
Patients will also be given “discharge packages” with food and other essentials.
The two-day food package will include items such as milk, bread, butter, tinned soup, beans, fruit, coffee and tea.
It is the kind of support which the Star Project has been offering patients in Paisley for years, having taken numerous referrals from the Royal Alexandra Hospital staff in recent years.
Heather Kay, manager of the Love Street charity, welcomed the new formalised service but said its existence was a reminder of the scale of the challenge facing families.
“It’s great that there is now a formal service in place for patients, but it is devastating that it is needed,” she said.
“I hope going forward it is regularly reviewing and assessing the needs of local people as we know that the needs of our community is changing on a weekly basis.
“Some of the feedback we are getting is really, really concerning so we would hope that the hospital is listening and is engaging with people who can reflect the reality for individuals in our community.”
Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, added: “This is a very concerning situation. Many of those in social care are at the frontline of our cost of living crisis.
"We must ensure people have the provisions required to be able to leave full-time healthcare. That is vital for those people and their well-being.
"It is also vital for our health service, which should not be in a situation where it has to care for medically well people for want of adequate food and provisions. This yet another compelling example of why we need urgent action from the Scottish and UK governments to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.”
The energy and food support service is funded by the NHSGGC Endowments Committee and is being delivered in partnership with Money Matters Money Advice Centre in Glasgow.
Staff are encouraged to refer patients to the service if they feel they need help via their hospital support and information services team, which has a presence in all hospital atriums.
The team has long been providing non-clinical assistance to patients on a range of issues and can manage anything from blue badge applications to housing support, smoking cessation or even helping organise pet fostering for patients receiving care.
To access NHSGGC hospital support and information services, go to www.nhsggc.scot/support-and-information-service/
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