Bed-blockers lying in Lothian hospitals for up to 11 months

Published on Wednesday 25 February 2009 08:59

ELDERLY patients have been left lying in Lothians hospitals for up to 11 months because there is nowhere for them to go, it emerged today.

The latest bed-blocking statistics reveal that two patients have been taking up hospital beds for between six and 11 months despite having no clinical need to be there.

It came as the figures yesterday showed NHS Lothian had more cases of bed-blocking of more than six weeks than any other Scottish health board.

As of January there were 26 people who had been in a Lothians hospital for more than six weeks despite being able to leave. This is usually because they have no care home to go to, or a social needs assessment on them to be carried out by their local authority is yet to take place.

NHS Lothian bosses are angry and frustrated at a situation, which costs the health board significant amounts of money and impacts on waiting times despite it being no fault of the board.

Bed-blocking has shot up the agenda since the SNP came to power in 2007, with First Minister Alex Salmond saying it was among his top priorities. It is estimated it costs the NHS in Scotland 75 million a year.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: "The patients' conditions can quickly deteriorate if they stay in hospital unnecessarily, so it is vital for local authorities and health boards to work together to return to the zero position so successfully achieved last April.

"That zero standard should be sustained at all times for the benefit of the patients concerned. My officials are in discussion with all partnerships on how we can help them to deliver further improvement."

In the Lothians, bed-blocking accounts for around two per cent of all bed space, which is far from the highest in Scotland.

The issue was discussed at a recent NHS Lothian board meeting where key members expressed their annoyance at the health board's hands being tied, given that they cannot discharge people from hospital if there is nowhere suitable for them to go.

Councils in Edinburgh and East Lothian have been regularly criticised for not providing enough spaces or carrying out assessments quickly enough, although the latter would argue the closure of care homes in the area has had a serious impact on capacity.

The NHS cannot comment on the cases of the two people currently in the Lothians hospitals for more than six months for confidentiality reasons.

Because NHS Lothian is a provider of national service across Scotland it is not uncommon for people from other health board areas to have lengthy stays in the ERI, the Western General, St John's Hospital in Livingston or even the Sick Kids. There is one other case in Scotland of someone being left in hospital unnecessarily for more than six months – in the Western Isles.