Online service now accessible for browsing open spots in daycare centers and family homes
The Portuguese government has announced plans to launch an online platform aimed at improving the monitoring and management of vacancies in nurseries and care homes. The initiative, scheduled to be operational within the first six months of next year, is expected to address the chronic shortage and regulatory issues in these facilities, with a focus on transparency and efficient allocation of available spaces.
The upcoming platform will provide real-time information about care home vacancies and their locations, allowing families to choose the most convenient and suitable option for their needs. This could potentially reduce the costs incurred by hospitals when they have to hold patients awaiting social placement due to a lack of care home vacancies.
However, João Ferreira de Almeida, president of the Association for the Support of Domiciliary Care of Nursing Homes and Retirement Homes, has raised concerns about the platform. He emphasizes the importance of addressing the financial strain from social hospitalizations, which occur when patients remain in hospitals due to a lack of social care placements.
Recent facility closures due to illegal operation and poor conditions have exacerbated the shortage of legitimate care facilities. The urgent need to improve the regulatory landscape and operational transparency of elder care institutions is highlighted to prevent scenarios where vulnerable people remain hospitalized because there is nowhere appropriate to transfer them for social care.
João Ferreira de Almeida stresses that without properly addressing cost control related to social hospitalizations, the economic burden on the healthcare system will continue to increase. The platform must, therefore, be designed to facilitate not only vacancy monitoring but also efficient coordination between healthcare and social care sectors to prevent extended hospital stays caused by a lack of social care vacancies.
While no specific technical or launch details about the platform beyond its intended monitoring and management role were found, its significance is underscored by the large number of facility closures and the ongoing inspections revealing many illegal and inadequate institutions. This underscores the critical need for improved oversight and capacity management in this sector.
It's worth noting that an existing application, mentioned earlier, displays supposedly open vacancies that have already been allocated, making it ineffective in addressing the issue of care home vacancies. The current application only allows families to access free care home establishments for 48 hours after submitting their codes. However, the new platform is expected to provide a more efficient solution, enabling families to see in real-time how many vacancies there are and where they are located.
The online platform is intended to address issues related to vacancies in care homes, in addition to nurseries. As the launch date approaches, more details about the platform's features and cost implications are expected to be announced. Stay tuned for further updates on this important initiative.
[1] Source: Publico Journal
- The new online platform, set to launch in the first half of next year, will expand its focus beyond nurseries, aiming to address vacancies in both care homes and nurseries, thus providing comprehensive information about health-and-wellness facilities.
- In light of the current system's inefficiencies, such as the display of allocated vacancies instead of available ones, the science community now eagerly awaits the development of a more efficient solution – the upcoming platform – for the management of care home and nursery vacancies, promoting health-and-wellness and improving the overall quality of life for the elderly and children.
