BED-BLOCKERS have already cost the NHS nearly £1.9billion this year, analysis shows.
Delays in people leaving hospital in England could be costing an average of £395 per night, according to a report by the King’s Fund.
GettyDelays in people leaving hospital in England could be costing an average of £395 per night, according to a report by the King’s Fund[/caption]
The patients — who are medically fit for discharge but cannot leave because they have nowhere else to go — prevent other people in need being admitted to wards.
David Maguire, of the King’s Fund, said the huge costs are an example of wasted “resources that should be deployed in other ways”.
He said: “Delays are increasing at a time when the NHS is pushing harder than ever to find cost savings.
“There is no official estimate of the direct costs of these delays, but we have estimated one by uplifting the last estimate by inflation to produce a figure of £395 per night.
“If the winter discharge fund does not reduce delayed discharges below the average number we’ve seen so far this year, by the end of March the NHS will have spent £1.89 billion.”
The number of so-called “bed-blockers” has been a consistent thorn in the side of the NHS in recent years, peaking at around 14,052 per day on average in January.
Latest NHS figures show an average of 13,300 beds per day in the week to March 26 were filled by people ready to be discharged, compared with 12,643 at that point last year.
Overall, 42 per cent of medically fit patients in England were discharged.
The rate varied between regions, from 31 per cent in the North West to 52 per cent in eastern England.
The King’s Fund analysis estimated the costs of staff time spent on additional NHS care and overheads from an overnight stay for patients who are medically fit for discharge.
Mr Maguire said: “Behind these numbers are thousands of individuals who have experienced frustration, disruption and discomfort because they’ve been stuck in hospital when they’ve been ready to leave.”