12.04.12
Overnight discharges to be investigated
Thousands of patients are being discharged during the night, it has been revealed, possibly to free up more beds.
NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh is to examine the claims, made in The Times newspaper, which sent Freedom of Information requests to all the trusts inEngland.
The responses demonstrated that 239,233 patients were discharged from wards between 11pm and 6am last year, which accounts for 3.5% of all hospital discharges. However there are wide disparities between trusts, with some having 1% of patients discharged in this way and others were discharging over 8%.
Sir Bruce said: “I am concerned to hear that some patients may be being discharged unnecessarily late. Patients should only be discharged when it’s clinically appropriate, safe and convenient for them and their families. It is simply not fair to be sending people home late at night. We will look at this.”
The Patients Association warned that the elderly would be the worst affected by this practice as they were sent home on their own to cope without support. The number of overnight discharges could also increase as NHS budgets are cut, the Association warned.