More evidence of Hull NHS crisis
Diana Johnson MP
24/03/15, 00:00
New figures show 713 bed days being wasted in Hull NHS, as delayed discharges reach an all-time high.
The latest official figures for January 2015 show a dramatic increase in the number of delayed discharges from hospitals in a further sign that the NHS is going backwards under the Tories and Lib Dems.
In Hull the number of wasted bed days has increased by 258%, with 713 bed days wasted, as many elderly people were left stuck in hospital. In August 2010 the figure was 199.
Nationally, the number of delayed days per month has almost doubled under this Government from 55,332 in August 2010 to 103,776 in January 2015.
In the past month alone, the number of delayed days has increased by 14%.
Over the past year there have been more than a million delayed days, costing almost £287m enough to pay for 6,875 nurses or a year of home visits for more than 41,000 older and disabled people.
Last month almost 3,600 patients were delayed in being discharged from hospitals, costing the NHS more than £28.5m.
Many elderly people are finding themselves stuck in hospital as they wait for the support they need to move back home, or for a place in a residential or nursing home - accounting for 40% of all delays.
Hull North MP Diana Johnson said: "After the Coalition Government slashed social care thousands of frail, elderly people are ending up in A&E and getting stuck in hospital.
"This could be avoided if they had suitable care and support in the community or at home.
"These terrible figures show the scale of the care crisis that is affecting the most vulnerable people in Hull. It's costly for tax-payers and puts our NHS under even more pressure, after £3bn was wasted on top-down reorganisation.
"Delayed discharges cost £287m in the last year alone money which could have paid for a year of home visits for more than 41,000 elderly people, or 6,875 nurses.
"Labour will join up health and social care and provide 5,000 more homecare workers to help more elderly people in Hull stay healthy and living independently in their own homes."