HSE must step up to tackle the plight of people stuck in wards

NOBODY wants to be in hospital longer than needed – not least because they are at higher risk of infection. However, the most recent figures showing a rise in delayed discharges – patients who no longer need to be in a hospital but have nowhere suitable to go – is something of a setback.

In September, 613 patients were still in hospital beds when they did not need to be and the problem has climbed during the year.

This came at a time when the need to move scores of patients every day from trolleys to a ward was taking days in some cases.

The blocking of beds was a major problem in Irish hospitals a decade ago, and the promise was that it was being tackled.

There was some success, but this year has been particularly bad. The lack of people at home due to getting a job, and not being available to look after some of these patients, is a problem of post-recession Ireland.

It is true that when people had no jobs they were able to step in if a homecare package was delayed, to allow the patient to leave hospital.

But the core is a lack of home supports from the HSE and delay in finding nursing home places or adapting the person’s home.

The latest winter plan to reduce the pressure on hospitals during the post-Christmas and January spike in trolleys will see a boost in homecare supports and other community facilities such as transitional care beds.

But if the experience of last winter is repeated it will be a short-term measure that will not provide the kind of sustained reliefs needed by hospitals, while confining patients to hospital needlessly.

A report by Age Action on delayed discharges found that people can leave hospital, but are not given the adequate supports in the community. This is leading to readmission.

It also said that delays in getting adaptations and specialised equipment for people moving out of hospital mean they may have to stay in hospital longer or move to a nursing home.

Older people are waiting months to have their homes assessed for adaptation by an occupational therapist.

The availability of housing adaptation supports can also vary according to a geographical area.

Many older people are having to pay privately to ensure they can live safely in their own homes.

Age Action called for changes in the operation of home adaptation schemes to allow these older people to have the necessary changes before they are in crisis.

While so much focus is on new beds to keep trolleys at bay in the coming months, there is no guarantee there will be enough staff to open them.

All the more pressing to ensure existing beds are used efficiently.