A DRIVE to cut the delay in discharging medically fit patients at Barrow‘s hospital trust has already seen improvement in the space of 30 days.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Furness General Hospital, is tackling record levels of so called ‘bed-blocking’ and has come up with schemes to free up space on wards.

These include carrying out social care assessments at an earlier stage and delivering prescriptions by 10am every day to reduce the hold-up in discharging a patient.

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Record bed-blocking levels to be cut in half within 12 weeks

Ward 'bed-blocked' at Barrow hospital

Since the drive was launched over a month ago, the number of people experiencing a delay in discharging is down by 10 per cent.

Bed-blocking is when a patient no longer needs hospital care but cannot be sent home as they wait for assessments, a care package to be in place or for a nursing home place to become available.

‘Amazing step’

Speaking at a UHMBT board meeting, Foluke Ajayi, chief operating officer, said the new project, which is designed to ultimately halve the number of blocked beds in just 12 weeks, was showing early signs of success.

She said: "Just 30 days post initial launch, the average 120 patients with a delayed discharge is down to 108.

"There is much more to do but I am really pleased to see the work the teams have done so far.

"This is an amazing step in the right direction."

Bed-blocking peaked this winter at Furness General Hospital as well as at Westmorland General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary – with patients staying in hospital for an average of 11 extra days after they are found to no longer require acute medical care.

The problem can effectively freeze movement across hospitals, delaying treatments and transfers in other patients while they wait for the bed to become vacant.

The efforts by UHMBT form part of its Better Care Together strategy, which brings together carers, social workers, doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

National picture

The reduction in bed-blocking comes as the boss of NHS England, Simon Stevens, warned delays in releasing elderly patients from hospital could continue for up to five years.

Nationally, it is estimated that bed-blocking is costing the service about £820m a year.