Patient Finally Discharged After Nearly Three Months
When a patient, who is deemed "fit enough to be discharged", is unable to leave the hospital due to the lack of necessary arrangements for their discharge, this situation is termed Bed-blocking.
In 2022, Hospitals in Shropshire saw significant increases in delayed discharges.
Some of the reasons why a patient’s discharge may be delayed include the unavailability of a care home or rehab bed or a home care package that has not been finalised.
When it is not possible to discharge a patient, admitting other patients becomes very difficult even for patients that are in the A&E department because it reduces the number of available beds in wards.
According to figures obtained by the BBC, a patient who was fit to be discharged waited 88 days to leave the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford last year. The longest a patient waited before being able to leave the hospital.
NHS Trust overseeing Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin said that it had brought under control the number of people awaiting discharge in recent years after some challenging years following the Covid pandemic.
Sometimes delays are usually because the community is not ready to support a patient either in a care home or in their own homes.
Data obtained by the Freedom of Information request also revealed that fit to be discharged patients occupied beds for the equivalent of 21,546 days at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in 2022. This represented a 76% increase from 2021.
At the Prince Royal Hospital in Telford, 14,750 days were lost, a 52% rise compared with 2021.
Gareth Robinson, Director of Delivery and Transformation at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said: "The number of patients awaiting discharge is stabilising and beginning to reduce." He also mentioned that although he was left disappointed over the ordeals of patients, significant strides were being made to make things better.
He also added that the Trust was treating more patients at home which is freeing up capacity.
Making Claims for Hospital Negligence
As a patient, medical professionals have a duty of care to you and should not breach that duty. At no point during your treatment should you be subjected to substandard care.
However, it is sad that many patients have been victims of carelessness, having to deal with unnecessary pain and suffering because of the mistakes of their doctor or health professional. If this is you, you may have strong grounds to make a claim.
Are you displeased with how you were treated in the NHS? The NHS Resolution is designated to look into claims brought against the NHS.
At NHSNegligenceClaim, We offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation call to see if we can connect you with an expert hospital negligence claims solicitor from one of our partnered law firms to help with your potential claim. We are a claims management company and are paid by our partnered law firms for the service that we provide.
Reach us on 0800 999 3372 today to schedule a free assessment call to discuss your potential claims.