26.05.16
‘Alarming’ increase in delayed transfers of elderly patients
Delayed transfer figures for elderly patients have been underestimating the true scale of the problem, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned in a new report.
Official figures show that delayed transfers have increased by 31% in the past two years, from 0.87 million days in 2013 to 1.15 million days in 2015.
However, the NAO said that this figure applies only to delays that occur once a patient is considered ready for discharge by doctors. Factoring in all delays that patients experience, the total amount is closer to 2.7 million days, of which approximately 85% happen to patients aged over 85.
Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “The number of delayed transfers has been increasing at an alarming rate but does not capture the true extent of older people who should not be in hospital. While there is a clear awareness of the need to discharge older people from hospital sooner, there are currently far too many older people in hospitals who do not need to be there.
“Without radical action, this problem will worsen and add further strain to the financial sustainability of the NHS and local government.”
The figures also show that in 2010-15 the average length of stay for elderly patients decreased from 12.9 to 11.9 days, but the overall number of bed days increased from 17.8 million to 19.4 million.
The NAO also found that although increasing funding to social care services for elderly patients after discharge from hospital could cost £180m a year, the current cost of delayed discharges to the NHS is £820m.
The NAO said the causes of the problem included staffing shortages and lack of social care support for elderly patients.
It recommended that the Department of Health, NHS England NHS Improvement set out a strategy for how they will reverse the trend of increasing delayed discharge, potentially including changing the metric.
A spokesperson at NICE said: “This NAO report makes clear the need to improve the way that older patients are discharged from hospital, particularly when they no longer need the same level of care.
“Whilst we understand the pressures facing our health and social care system, our guidance aims to improve the situation that some older patients are finding themselves in. Moving people to more appropriate community or care home settings will help reduce the cost burden on the NHS for hospital bed days, as well as ensure that a patient’s wellbeing is being looked after – particularly if they are older and more vulnerable.”
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