The Third Sector could help free up Hospital Beds; Could the Internet help too?

Next week is likely to be crunch time for the NHS, when it's future becomes a little more certain as Andrew Lansley's health reforms go before Parliament. His proposals represent possibly the greatest shake up in the history of the Health Service and have appropriately caused much passionate debate over the past months.

A lot of comment in the media has been negative since the new year, so it was refreshing to read two articles this week that focused more on the positives. These remarkably similar pieces at the Guardian and Telegraph, both forward the argument for the Third Sector taking a bigger role in helping the NHS provide healthcare. This is very much in line with the Big Society agenda and echoes our article from back in October.

The story in the Guardian mentions that 75% of NHS resources are taken up by people with long-term illness and how the voluntary sector has the experience and knowledge by which to reduce hospital time and readmissions for such sufferers. The Telegraph also points to the Third Sector helping patients at home, thereby reducing  their need forhospital beds.

We'll be publishing an article on Monday that touches on this, specifically how remote monitoring via the Internet can also go towards achieving the same. With the news today about the expense of Consultant overtime, such ways of reducing the time people spend in hospital could play a key role in the NHS making the savings the Government requires of them.