Elderly ‘block’ 4m hospital beds

OFFICIAL figures showing the number of older people blocking hospital beds “grossly underestimate” the true scale of the social care crisis engulfing the health service, it is claimed today.

Almost four million days have been lost to the NHS since 2011 due to problems securing social care.

Nearly one million hospital bed days were lost last year alone, according to Age UK.

Between 2015/16 and 2016/17 there was a 27 per cent rise in the number of bed days lost because social care arrangements were not in place.

Between April and July this year 13 per cent more days were lost to social care than during the same period in 2016. Age UK says the statistics represent huge numbers of older people unable to start their recovery out of hospital – putting them at risk of infections, loss of mobility and psychological distress.

Research reveals that excess stays in an NHS hospital bed cost between £2,089 and £2,532 per week.

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: “These figures show the disastrous impact of our failing social care system on the NHS, as well as on older people.

“Increasing numbers are being marooned in their hospital beds, losing muscle tone and risking infection when they are medically fit enough to leave, often because of acute shortages of social care, especially the home visiting kind.

“This ridiculous, sometimes tragic, situation cost the taxpayer more than £173million last year.

Delays

“This money would be better spent giving older people social care they need.”

David Oliver, Geriatric Consultant at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, said: “The report grossly underestimates the real numbers of stranded patients in hospital through no fault of their own. These delays seriously impact our scarce hospital bed base.

“So far, attempts to solve the problem have failed.”

One in 12 patients taken to hospital by ambulance is stuck outside A&E for more than an hour before being seen, new data from the Care Quality Commission suggests.

The findings are based on a survey of 45,000 people who received urgent and emergency NHS care in England last year.

Of 12,588 patients taken to A&E by ambulance, four per cent waited one to two hours and a further four per cent waited two hours or more.