February 4, 2022 8.49 am This story is over 36 months old

Lincolnshire’s first ‘care hotel’ opens to help under pressure hospital

Bed blockers are a problem for the NHS

The first ‘care hotel’ has opened in Lincolnshire to help an under pressure hospital cope with so-called ‘bed blockers’.

Scunthorpe General Hospital has around 20 patients each day that don’t need medical treatment, but can’t leave because there isn’t a care home available or help hasn’t been arranged at home.

To tackle the problem the NHS has opened a new ‘care hotel’ one mile away at the Wortley House Hotel.

Scunthorpe Councillor Richard Hannigan said the ‘care hotel’ allows people to recover, with round-the-clock care, before they go back to independent living.

The hotel is still open for regular customers, but at a time of year when hospitality is quiet, manager Gez Reilly says the new NHS-funded arrangement has been a ‘welcome boost’.