Bed block nightmare
Delayed discharges rise
Adult patients from West Lothian spent more than 1700 days in hospital beds waiting to be discharged this year, new figures have revealed.
New delayed discharge statistics from the NHS show that patients over the age of 18 from West Lothian spent 1639 days in hospital beds waiting to leave for non- Code 9 (complex) reasons from April to August 31 this year.
The figure rises to 1701 adult patients when Code 9 patients are included, meaning 96 per cent of adult delayed discharge patients are non- Code 9 related.
A West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson: “Each individual person’s circumstances are unique and, at times, patients are cared for in hospital longer than intended.
“A Code 9 patient in the discharge coding framework requires more complex discharge arrangements to transfer their care to a community setting.
“This is often related to legislative processes for people who lack capacity to make decisions for their future.
“Work is underway in the social care sector to increase capacity and improve responsiveness to individual need.
“In West Lothian, we have a well- established Frailty Transformation Programme focusing on streamlining pathways and processes, whilst continuing to invest in shifting care closer to home and maximising independence.”
Throughout NHS Lothian in August 2018, the average number of beds per day being used for delayed discharge was 352.
This is an increase of 10.5 per cent from 315 days in August 2017 and an increase of 12 per cent from 2016.
The total number of delayed bed days in NHS Lothian has increased each year, with 9,608 in August 2016, 9,751 in 2017 and 10,919 in August 2018.
This is an increase of 12 per cent from August 2016.
Miles Briggs, Conservative Lothian MSP, said:“The steady increase in delayed discharge in NHS Lothian is deeply worrying.
“Despite the promises to completely eradicate delayed discharge, the problem continues to worsen.
“NHS Lothian simply doesn’t have the capacity for this relentless increase in delayed discharge and patients and their families will be increasingly distressed by these unnecessary hospital stays.
“Delayed discharges will only continue to rise in the coming months with winter approaching so I have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health to ask what is being done to urgently tackle this crisis.”