Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 December 2012
494. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding patients awaiting discharge from hospital who no longer require hospital care but are seeking access to either a public nursing home bed or adequate home help support and or care packages [55363/12]
View answer495. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the level of progress achieved by his Department's special delivery unit and the Health Service Executive's clinical programme for elderly care in clearing the reported backlog of 600 persons, the majority of whom are over 65 years, who were awaiting discharge from hospital on 12 November 2012. [55364/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 494 and 495 together.
Data available from the Health Service Executive shows that, on 12 November, the number of delayed discharges nationally was 653; the average number of delayed discharges for the month of November was 656. On 3 December, which is the most recent data available, the number of delayed discharges nationally was 589, representing a decrease of 10.2% on the November average. Of these, a third (195) were awaiting discharge for under two weeks and a further 124 were awaiting discharge for under four weeks.
To address this issue, the SDU has worked with the Clinical Care Programme on the Elderly and the HSE on proposals for a joint Acute Hospital/Community Service transitional care initiative. This will speed up access and egress from acute care (reducing ED times, length of stay, and delayed discharges). The scheme commenced in the latter half of this year and involves the provision of home supports, transitional care beds and rehabilitation beds. So far under this initiative, which commenced in the latter half of the year, more than 6,500 home supports hour have been provided, more than 300 patients discharged to transitional care or rehabilitation beds and approximately 10,000 bed days have been saved within the acute hospital system.
This initiative is about improving the patient experience and outcomes for our frail older people. The initiative will also underpin significant savings in bed days through moving from acute beds to transitional and rehabilitation beds and through reduction in the average length of stay for patients in acute beds.
