Third of beds in some hospitals are blocked by patients fit to return home
MINISTERS are facing fresh calls to tackle the crisis in social care after analysis revealed up to a third of beds in some hospitals are taken up by patients medically fit to leave.
An average of 13,622 were stuck on wards across England in February, according to analysis by the House of Commons Library.
This meant one in seven hospital beds, or 13%, were taken up.
Croydon, South London, was worst affected with 33% of all beds “blocked” by patients who no longer needed hospital treatment.
Next was Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trust, where 29% of available beds were taken up by those well enough to be discharged.
Then came the Isle of Wight (28%) North Bristol (26%) and Warrington and Halton (25%).
The South West saw the most delays, with 17%, followed by the South East at 16.5%. The East of England (9%) had the lowest rate in the country. Delayed discharges are largely caused by a lack of adequate social care and community support for patients.
The Lib Dems, who commissioned the research, have called for policies to tackle this including a Carer’s Minimum Wage, set at £2 above the usual rate.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey said the social care crisis was “turning into a national emergency”. He added: “Thousands of people are left stranded in hospitals every day waiting for the care they need, while the NHS buckles under the strain. Elderly relatives stuck in overcrowded hospital wards, when they could be being cared for at home or with their families if the right support was there. There is a deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and his government about what they will do to fix the mess.” Estimates suggest each night a patient spends in hospital when they could be discharged costs the NHS £395. The King’s Fund thinktank estimated in 2022/23 that it stood at £1.9billion. Patricia Marquis, pictured, of the Royal College of Nursing, said delays were adding to pressure on hospitals and leading to patients being treated in “corridors, doorways and store cupboards”. She added: “Nobody should stay in hospital longer than they need to.
“Politicians on all sides need to show they understand you can’t disentangle the NHS from social care. Any party wanting to gain the trust of the public needs to show they have plans to resolve the crisis.”
Sir Julian Hartley, of NHS Providers, said: “The knock-on effects on people,A&E departments and ambulances waiting to hand over patients are huge. Reform and adequate, sustainable funding of social care is needed urgently.”
Alex Baylis, of The King’s Fund, warned poor social care was not the only cause of delayed discharges.
He added: “There is a history of different organisations blaming the others, but it’s essential that local services – across hospitals, community nursing, GPs, residential care, carers – all work together to reduce delays to people leaving hospital.”