Reilly Highlights Bed Crisis
Monday, 25 January 2010 12:46 Local Fine Gael TD, Dr James Reilly, has released new figures showing bed days lost due to delayed discharges. They show 50,000 more bed days were lost in 2009 than 2008. Dr Reilly said the number of bed days lost due to delayed discharges has increased by 65 per cent since 2007. He said, “The high number of patients, many elderly, who are in acute hospital beds when they need to be in rehab long stay care is seriously cutting down on our hospital capacity. Figures I have obtained from the HSE show that 272,881 bed days were lost in 2009, compared to 223,704 in 2008, because of delayed discharges”, he said. “Eight five per cent of these patients are over 65 which shows there is a real problem for elderly patients who need to be in convalescent, rehabilitation, nursing home or supported home care but have no place to go. Clearly the patient is not getting the priority that budgetary consideration gets, when Nursing Home Ireland has pointed out there are 1,800 nursing home beds unoccupied around the country which the HSE has failed to contract.” |
