News

Hospital discharges – ‘red tape keeps hundreds on the wards’

Date: 9th August 2023

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services-january-2023/

Discharges are delayed due to lack of social care – an average of 2,033 per day awaiting resources to be put in place for going home and. a further 1,277 a day awaiting a place in a residential or nursing home, with a further awaiting a rehabilitation bed ! BUT data  shows 390 per day were awaiting paperwork – a discharge summary and 98 a day for lack of transport.  In context 12,344 beds per day were occupied by people awaiting discharge. This report seeks to address these issues.

Miriam Deakin, Director of Strategy at NHS Providers  says there are several factors including a ‘capacity  crunch of staff and beds in social care and community health’. How often have we said in NESCHA , as she says, that ‘short- term national fundng pots…cannot offer sustainable solutions. A fully funded long-term workforce plan for social care , accompanied by debate about long term funding and reform would put the sector on a sustainable footing’.

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