Delayed discharges continue to rise

A total of just under 1,800 beds are currently unavailable in the acute hospital system, according to the latest statistics from the HSE.

The HSE says 909 of these beds are unavailable due to delayed discharges. Delayed discharge patient numbers are continuing to rise and are 23% up on the same time last year, according to the HSE, in its newly published August performance management report.

It has expressed concern that the number of delayed discharge patients will continue to rise significantly between now and November.

In addition, a further 883 beds are closed due to cutbacks, maintenance and other reasons - 594 of the bed closures were due to cutback measures.

The report also shows that A&E waiting times are still high in some hospitals. In Beaumont Hospital, the average trolley wait for a patient once a decision has been made to admit is 24.7 hours.

The HSE report also shows that the number of medical cards issued this year is 14,288 above what the HSE had budgeted for.

[Posted: Tue 13/10/2009]