Elderly patients dying while ‘stuck in hospitals’

30 people passed away in wards after prolonged discharge process

Thirty elderly patients per year are dying in Tayside hospitals despite being fit enough to leave in what has been branded an “incredibly sad” situation.

Leading charity Age Scotland hit out at figures showing 154 elderly patients have died “stuck in hospitals” in the region over the last five years, showing that patients are not being afforded enough dignity in death.

The majority remained “improperly in hospital” after finishing treatment and died while awaiting appropriate arrangements to be made, such as at home or in care homes.

Post-hospital arrangements need to be made with the help of health and social care partnerships of Angus, Dundee and Perth.

NHS Tayside say they work “very closely” with these groups to reduce delayed discharges but said patients often have “highly complicated” health and social care issues.

Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, said the health of elderly patients can wane drastically if kept in hospital instead of returning to a more normal life.

He said: “It is incredibly sad to hear about the older people who die in hospital while waiting to be discharged.

“It will not be where they would have wanted to die nor will it be what the hospital would have wanted. It is really important that we can ensure some level of dignity in death.

“The longer someone stays in hospital, particularly those who are older, beyond the time they are fit to leave, the harder it becomes for them to fully recover.

“Far too many older people are stuck in hospital long after they are deemed well enough to be discharged because the social care support for them is not yet available.”

The patients mentioned in the figures died between April 2014 and March 2019.

It comes just a few months after it was

“Far too many older people are stuck in hospital long after they are deemed well enough to be discharged. BRIAN SLOAN OF AGE SCOTLAND

revealed seven people in Tayside who had been medically discharged had to wait more than a year to leave, including one who waited for more than two years.

It also comes as it is claimed other patients in Tayside are battling a “postcode lottery” and being discharged from high-dependence hospital wards early due to staff and bed shortages.

A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Some patients may have highly complicated health and social care difficulties, and need specialist, highquality care provision in place before their discharge from hospital.

“There can be delays in arranging this type of specialist provision. Reasons for this include the recruitment of skilled care staff, and also the need for housing to be adapted to the needs of the service user. Sometimes the patient’s needs can change after a period of stability, and it can also take time to get necessary legal safeguards in place before someone can be discharged home.”