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Bed-blocking and emergency re-admission rise by 13% in last 2 years
November 27, 2002 12:00 AM
Ahead of the 2nd reading of the Delayed Discharge Bill that will see local councils fined because of bed blocking, Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Older People, today released shocking new figures that show there has been an increase of 11% in emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of being discharged over the last 2 years.
Ministers originally planned to fine social services for bed blocking AND NHS Trusts for people over 75 being readmitted to hospital as an emergency within 28 days of being released. However, the Government has subsequently backtracked on these proposals instead choosing to fine solely social services departments.
Paul Burstow MP, said:
"The Government's obsession with delayed discharge targets has failed to address the fundamental issues surrounding the treatment of the frail and vulnerable elderly.
"The crisis in the care of the elderly is widening, deepening and fast approaching meltdown. Older people who have become ill must have the care they need in the right time and the right place. Without a comprehensive review of the social care sector, increasing numbers of older people will either be stuck in a hospital bed for months or given inappropriate care for their needs.
"The victims of bed blocking and emergency readmissions are the frail elderly who find themselves caught up in a game of pass-the-parcel between health and social care.
"Failure to invest in preventative home care and high quality care homes denies people choice and is a false economy. Taxpayers' money is wasted on keeping people in hospital or readmitting the elderly to NHS beds, when what they need is good care at home, or a good care home"
ENDS
Notes to Editors follow…
Notes to Editors
1.) Figures have been analysed by Mr Burstow from Parliamentary answers taken over the last 2 years. Hansard links are available on request
Emergency readmissions of patients over 75 within 28 days of being discharged between April 1999 and April 2002 by region
Region Jul-June 99/00 Jul-June 00/01 Jul-June 01/02 Percentage Increase from 1999 - 2001 Total increase/decrease of people
England 110,627 120,122 122,357 10.44% 11,730
2.) Mr Burstow published figures last week that showed social services could be in line to be fined up to £50million each year pushing up council tax bills or forcing local councils to slash services.
3.) Paragraph 8.10 of the Department of Health document "Delivering the NHS Plan" published in April 2002 stated:-
"We have been impressed by the success of the system in countries like Sweden and
Denmark in getting delayed discharges from hospitals down. We intend to legislate
therefore to introduce a similar system of cross-charging. The new social services
cash announced in the Budget includes resources to cover the cost of beds
needlessly blocked in hospitals through delayed discharges. This was also a reform
commended by the Wanless Review. Councils will need to use these extra resources
to expand care at home and to ensure that all older people are able to leave hospital
once their treatment is completed and it is safe for them to do so. If councils reduce
the number of blocked beds, they will have freedom to use these resources to invest
in alternative social care services. If they cannot meet the agreed time limit they will
be charged by the local hospital for the costs it incurs in keeping older people in
hospital unnecessarily. In this way there will be far stronger incentives in the system
to ensure that patients do not have to experience long delays in their discharge from
hospital. There will be matching incentive charges on NHS hospitals to make them
responsible for the costs of emergency hospital readmissions, so as to ensure patients
are not discharged prematurely."
This proposal has now been dropped.
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