‘FewerWelsh NHS beds will put patients at risk’
FALLING numbers of NHS beds in Wales could be putting the safety of patients at risk, it is claimed.
New figures from the Welsh Government have revealed that an average of 10,857 NHS beds were available in Wales in 2016-17.
That’s a drop from 10,934 in 201516, 11,061 in 2014-15, 11,241 in 201314 and 11,497 in 2012-13.
Since the turn of the millennium, the number of daily NHS beds has dropped by almost 4,000.
And since the figures were first recorded in 1989-90, bed numbers have fallen by 9,000.
Medical advances, leading to shorter stays in hospital, and a shift in policy towards providing treatment and care outside hospital have contributed to the fall in bed numbers.
In addition, the Welsh Government wants just 85% of beds to be occupied at any one time to prevent delays in transfers of care.
This figure was not reached in 2016-17 when an average of 87.4% beds were being used by patients.
The target has not been met since 2011-12 when the occupancy rate stood at 84.7%.
Plaid Cymru claims year-on-year rises in bed occupancy could affect the quality of patient care.
The party’s health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “While it’s true to say that some hospital beds are no longer needed because changes to treatment mean it is safe to send patients home, the direction of travel has gone too far.
“Bed occupancy needs to remain below 85% for hospitals to remain safe and able to deal with unexpected surges, but occupancy levels have been above that safe level for several years now. Yet these latest statistics continue to show the number of beds being reduced, with the predictable result that average occupancy continues to rise and is above what is regarded as a safe level.
“This indicates that the Welsh Government’s decision to cut beds is putting patients at risk and it needs to stop now. I want the Cabinet Secretary for Health to commit to safeguarding the number of beds in Welsh hospitals to keep occupancy rates at safe levels.”
Between 2015-16 and 2016-17, the largest fall in available NHS beds was in the old-age psychiatry sector (down 61), followed by general surgery (down 39), while geriatric medicine (up 81) had the largest increase.
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board had the highest levels of bed occupancy (89.1%), followed by Aneurin Bevan UHB (88.6%) and Cardiff and Vale UHB (88%). Only Cwm Taf University Health Board (84.1%) and Powys Teaching Health Board – which does not have an A&E department – managed to reach the Welsh Government target (83%).
In some sectors, including rehabilitation, respiratory medicine and cardiology, the number of beds actually increased between 2015-16 and 2016-17.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Bed numbers are not an accurate marker for good care. Increasingly, the NHS in Wales is developing innovative ways of managing people’s health without admitting them to hospital, which is often better for people who prefer being at home.
“The Welsh NHS is also using bed capacity more efficiently; for example, more people are having surgery as day cases, which means they do not need a bed for an overnight stay.”