Missed opportunities to empty unnecessary occupied hospital beds

Autumna urges improving communication and streamlining is critical to relieve pressure on who are waiting to leave hospital

With ambulances waiting for hours at hospital front doors, and increasing pressure on hospital capacity for acute and elective services, Autumna, the UK’s leader in helping people find the right care, urges discharge teams to review procedures and streamline services to reduce unnecessary occupied beds.

According to the NHS Key Statistics: England, June 2022 report, there are an average of 128,629 beds open overnight. However latest NHS figures show in July only 40% of patients were able to leave hospital when they were ready to; 12,900 patients a day spent more time in hospital than needed – an 11% rise on the previous month.

Debbie Harris, Managing Director of Autumna says “The NHS has for many years suffered the same problems of 'bed-blocking' or more accurately patients occupying hospital beds that no longer need to be there.”

“With the winter months on the horizon, we have to find solutions to reduce pressure on capacity across our country and acute and elective services within the NHS. Without appropriate support and communication throughout the journey into hospital and home again, people can feel unequipped and ill prepared to support their own recovery.”

“We must redefine Hospital Discharge, and look at more streamlined ways to support people who are waiting to leave hospital and return to their own home or accommodation-based care.”

A critical factor in hospital discharge is providing timely and detailed assessment of a person’s care needs. Safe hospital discharge and recovery services are available, but information is fragmented on how and where this can be accessed.

“Essential to these processes are education and knowledge about the superb care and support services available to our NHS colleagues and members of the public during these moments of crisis." explains Debbie

Offering comprehensive information for greater patient choice at the point of discharge:

• reduces discharge delays by finding the best care quickly
• ensuring nobody stays in hospital a moment longer than is needed
  
• saves the hospital discharge team time searching for care providers
• and minimises unnecessary public spending

“While there is no quick fix and each individual has very different needs to support their health and wellbeing, there are significant advances in information accessible to our health system that can make the exit from hospital simpler and faster,” says Debbie.

“The pandemic has put immense pressure on hospital discharge teams to support rapid transfer out of hospital and minimise bed blocking. Now more than ever before, it is vital we draw on all the resources of community care and support services, saving lives and protecting the NHS.”

Notes to the editors

Debbie Harris, Founder of Autumna

@LaterLifeExpert

Through the innovative use of technology, Debbie is empowering people to make informed choices to select the right standard of care and lifestyle for their needs; at the same time, she is giving care providers an avenue to a wider audience and additional tools and resources to showcase their services online.

Saving time and reducing stress for people in crisis, and giving people looking for later life living options detailed choices, Autumna is now the UK’s largest and most comprehensive later life living directory; as well as care homes, it encompasses home care, live-in care agencies and retirement living developments

Contacts

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Listen to Debbie our founder talking about the discharge dilemma.

Contact us to find out how to start using our care directory across your organisation

Tel 01892 335330  or email [email protected]