Walfinch  home care Southampton is involved in a pilot scheme which could help cut hospital discharge delays – one of the main reasons why patients are stuck in ambulances outside hospitals waiting for beds.
 
Angela Harding, Co-Director and Registered Care Manager of Walfinch Southampton, says: “We are one of the care companies offered on a new care co-ordination and support mobile phone app called  M yra , which allows people to find home care, equipment, and other information, that can help speed up their discharge.”
 
The number of patients ready to leave acute hospitals, but delayed, reached 13,815 a day in January 2025,  states the  Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation . The most common reason for delay among patients in hospital for seven days or more was waiting for hospital and care transfer processes (36%). The app aims to speed up the process.
 
Angela says: “Delayed discharges mean ambulances are stuck outside hospitals waiting for beds to become available, planned treatments have to be cancelled and patients' health deteriorates, so we were delighted to be involved in this pilot scheme.”

Walfinch Southampton expects to receive care clients from Southampton hospitals through the app, and as a result of being involved in the pilot scheme they can advertise their Walfinch care services in the hospitals.

As members they can also use the hospitals' training suites, where the Walfinch care team can train on patient dummies, hospital beds and hoists.

Angela says: “We also advertise that we are piloting the Myra app, on our LinkedIn and Facebook posts. It's a benefit to patients, care providers like us, and the NHS.”

Walfinch CEO Amrit Dhaliwal says: “The app is a great example of the way that technology can be used to improve health and care services, so that patients, the NHS and local communities benefit, while making Walfinch services more well-known in their local areas.”

Spreading the Walfinch word

Angela and Walfinch Southampton Managing Director Laura Pineiro have also worked with a local care home to arrange a Care Fair at St James' Methodist Church, Shirley, Southampton, to raise funds for the local Mountbatten Hospice on June 28th, where they will be giving information about access to care and health services.

The team are also running a free, local Walfinch Thrive Club, where Robin Boulter, Walfinch Southampton Deputy Care Manager/Care Coordinator, uses his skills as a former fitness coach to deliver ability-appropriate exercise sessions at local monthly memory cafe in Potters Court, Maybush, in co-operation with local charity Caraway and St Peter's Church.

Robin is also doing a sky-dive on June 14 ^th  to raise funds for Mountbatten Hospice – despite being afraid of heights!
Walfinch Southampton now has a 23 clients and a 15-strong care team, and is currently recruiting more carers.
 Angela says: “We love the rewards that come from our work, and running our own Walfinch care franchise has given Laura and I more freedom in our lives, so we can now afford the time to rest and recharge by taking proper holidays.”