Concern at level of delayed discharge

A third of patients in specialist mental health rehabilitation wards are in hospital despite being well enough to be discharged, a new report has revealed.

Watchdogs at the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland have voiced concern about the level of delayed discharges from such facilities.

Pa t i e n t s in mental health rehabilitation wards are likely to have severe and complex mental health needs, the report said, and almost twofifths (37%) have been there for two years or more.

The commission regularly visits hospitals providing psychiatric care, and for its latest report it attended all 22 wards in 15 hospitals between June and September 2018 and reviewed the care received by 130 patients.

While the average stay was 582 days, it found a third (33%) of patients – most of whom were male – had had their discharge delayed.

Mike Diamond, executive director at the commission said: “We are concerned about the level of delayed discharge on these wards.

“We are keenly aware that there is always a risk that this group of patients fall by the wayside, as services focus on people whose needs present as more urgent or dynamic.”

He said “maintaining hope and a focus on recovery over a long period is vital”.

The report said: “The main issues were caused by a lack of appropriate accommodation, fluctuations in the mental state of the patient and delays in being allocated a social worker or in having access to funding for a package of care.”

The commission has recommended all patients whose discharge is delayed by more than three months should have their cases reviewed “in order to develop a clear plan for discharge within an acceptable timescale”.

“Maintaining hope and a focus on recovery over a long period is vital.

MIKE DIAMOND OF THE MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND