TEAMS from Cheshire West and Chester Council are working seven days a week in order to speed up discharges from hospital.

The council and its local care providers are working to ensure every resident reliant on social care services continues to get the support needed throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

There are 5,994 residents across the borough who rely on care and support daily, and the council is preparing for the demand on these services increasing along with staff absences as the pandemic progresses.

These critical services support the borough’s most vulnerable and ‘at risk’ residents, and are key to ensuring that hospital beds are available to treat residents most acutely affected by Covid-19.

Through the efforts of staff, an additional 33 elderly and vulnerable people who have recovered from illness over the last three weeks have returned home or to residential care.

An additional 42 care home beds have also been commissioned exclusively for hospital discharges, and the council’s reablement team, which provides short-term care at home to aid recovery after hospital discharge, is working with the Hospital Rapid Response Service to increase care in people’s own homes.

Cllr Val Armstrong, cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: “We are incredibly proud and grateful to our brilliant colleagues, many of whom are dealing with ‘business as usual’ as well as the challenges presented by the current crisis.

“They have been working tirelessly and around the clock to ensure that the people who rely on us most continue to be supported, whilst juggling to support their own families.

“The scale of this pandemic has raised issues that we’ve never encountered before, and challenges do still remain which we have been actively raising at the highest level.

“These include the need for the testing of care staff, which is now available for all registered care providers across the borough, and will enable care staff self-isolating to return to work much sooner.

“The Government has now published an action plan covering pressing issues and we will continue to work with them to do all we can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our carers and residents.

“When we #Clapforourcarers, it is not just for the NHS. Please also spare a thought for our entire social care workforce who are also making sacrifices to keep us all safe through these difficult times.”