Discharge delay affects hospitals
The number of patients affected by delayed discharge in Lanarkshire hospitals has almost doubled in 12 months, reaching an all-time high.
Figures released in May show in NHS Lanarkshire in April, 123 patients at Hairmyres, Wishaw and Monklands were adversely affected by standard delayed discharge.
Delayed discharge occurs when a patient is ready to leave hospital but their care package has not yet been put in place so hospital beds are taken up by patients who shouldn’t be there.
In May, there were 55 people awaiting a community care assessment, 34 patients waiting to go home, one waiting to secure funding for a care home placement, 26 awaiting place availability in a care home and seven patients classed as ‘other’. This includes legal/ financial, disagreements and other patient/ carer/ family related reasons.
Central Scotland Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell recently questioned the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Shona Robinson, on the number of patients affected by delayed discharge.
Ms Mitchell is calling for interim units to help tackle the record number of delayed discharges and said: “Whilst some of this increase is certainly due to the closure of Lockhart Hospital in Lanark, it’s still an issue which the Government has failed to get to grips with generally. It needs to deal with the situation and to ensure that this increase in delayed discharge does not continue.
“One possible way forward would be for Lanarkshire to establish interim units, which allow patients to build confidence before returning home after a stint in hospital. Other health boards in a similar situation have established these.”
Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership responded in a joint statement saying: “Delayed discharges are kept under constant review and a number of actions have been and are being taken to keep up with the increasing demand from both hospital discharges and a growing number of people in the community with additional care needs.
“Such initiatives include the rollout of the Hospital At Home service and the creation of intermediate care beds within a care home. In North Lanarkshire there are two social work intermediate care units in place, with a third due to open in autumn 2016.”