Hull hospitals fifth-worst at discharging patients in Yorkshire and the North East

On one day, 99 people were still in Hull hospital beds despite being ready to be discharged.

Author: Laurence GriffinPublished 14th Nov 2023

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people who were eligible to be discharged from Hull hospitals were still occupying hospital beds between July 2022 and June 2023.

That makes Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust the fifth-worst across all of Yorkshire and the North East.

Unison organiser Danny Marten said: "Many patients simply can't leave hospital until they've got a suitable care plan in place, but because there's so many issues with social care provision, staff simply can't discharge people.

"There's a new 64-bed unit that's a no-criteria-to-reside ward at the Hull Royal Infirmary site so hopefully we should start to see that taking some of the strain."

On the worst day, 87.1% of patients classed as no longer meeting the criteria to be in hospital that day were still occupying hospital beds at midnight. On 22 October 2022, 99 people who could have been discharged were still in hospital at the end of the day.

"The government hasn't hasn't funded these services properly"

A Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said: "We continue to work with local authorities and other health and care organisations to help people leave hospital more quickly. This means ensuring the right placements are found or support packages put in place to enable patients to return home safely.

"Facilities like the Rossmore Community Rehabilitation Centre, which opened in July 2023 and accepted more 200 patients within the first two months, are an excellent example of how services can work together to free up hospital beds and help bridge the gap for patients."

The problem was worst on Sundays, when 74.7% of patients identified as ready to be discharged that day were still in hospital beds.

Danny Marten said: "There are care homes under strain, we're seeing the health service picking up the strain, and it's just simply the fact that the government hasn't got to grips with it and hasn't funded these health and social care services properly."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "It is vital people receive the right care in the right place, and we are working to ensure patients are discharged safely from hospital as soon as they are medically fit. A record £1.6 billion investment is supporting this, on top of the £700 million to ease hospital pressures over last winter and the £42.6 million fund for innovation in adult social care.

“We have also provided up to £8.1 billion in additional funding over two years to support adult social care and this funding will enable local authorities to buy more care packages, help people leave hospital on time and reduce waiting times for care.”

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