More people will be spending Christmas at home thanks to joint work between Dudley Council and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust.

Health and care partners across Dudley are working closely with Dudley Council to help make sure patients with care needs are discharged before Christmas.

The council’s Assessment and Independence Urgent Care Team have worked in partnership with NHS colleagues at Russells Hall Hospital to achieve this before the Christmas period.

They have worked around the clock to achieve an additional 22 discharges so far.

This means more people spending Christmas at home with their loved ones and has also freed up bed capacity at Russells Hall Hospital. Councillor Matt Rogers, cabinet member for adult social care, said:

“We appreciate the need for our local hospitals to have bed capacity during a busy winter period and NHS staff are working incredibly hard alongside us to ensure the care needs of patients across the community are met.

“We will continue to work jointly to make sure delayed discharges are minimised wherever possible to do so. This means more people will be back home for Christmas with loved ones and I’d like to wish them, their families and staff in the Council and NHS a very Merry Christmas.”

Health chiefs are asking patients to choose services appropriately during the busy festive period and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who are at their most poorly.

This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.

The public can also play their part by taking simple steps to look after themselves, loved ones and checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.