Health chief’s concern over hospital discharge delays
NHS Forth Valley’s chief executive has expressed concern at the number of days Stirling patients are delayed leaving hospital almost tripling.
Figures released at this week’s board meeting show the number of bed days occupied by delayed discharges from the Stirling Council area jumped from 214 in December 2018 to 722 in December 2019.
The chief executive, Cathie Cowan, told the board when they met on Tuesday (January 28) the sharp rise has implications on the health system.
Mrs Cowan explained to the board how it impacted on patients being boarded and not being placed in the wards where they should be.
The majority of delayed discharges are caused by patients, clinically ready to leave hospital, waiting for a care package.
After the meeting, a spokesperson explained the number of patients from the Stirling area delayed leaving hospital had doubled from 12 in December 2018 to 24 in 2019. She suggested the rise in the number of bed days could even be down to just one patient with a particularly complex care package.
NHS Forth Valley has vowed to look into the situation and see what can be done.
After the meeting, SNP Stirling councillor Susan McGill who sits on both the NHS Forth Valley board and Clackmannanshire and Stirling integration joint board told us it was a “top priority.”
The Stirling North councillor said:”Delayed discharges are an ongoing concern, occurring for multiple, complex reasons, creating difficulty for the services but more importantly adversely affecting the individual and families involved.
“Delayed discharges are a top priority within Clackmannanshire and Stirling Integration Joint Board with everyone working hard to resolve. The transformational agenda is being implemented and will seek to resolve this issue and deliver optimal outcomes for the residents of Stirling and Clackmannanshire.”