Nearly 280 patients are well enough to leave hospitals in the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot areas of south Wales but can’t currently do so - leading to growing concerns about ‘bed blocking’ which means sick patients waiting for treatment can’t be admitted. New statistics have been revealed by Swansea Bay University Health Board, which manages healthcare at three major hospitals in the area - Morriston, Singleton, and Neath Port Talbot hospitals.
Across the health board, the equivalent of 10 full wards of patients are well enough to go home, which equates to the size of a full Singleton Hospital. According to health bosses, the delay in discharging patients is often due to a wait for care packages or extra support being supplied to people at home, meaning many stay in hospitals for days or in some cases weeks longer than is medically necessary. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
The health board is hoping that families of patients may be able to help by offering short-term “bridging support” which would enable loved ones to be sent home earlier. This would free up bed space at hospitals in the region for sicker patients who need them, and in turn keep patients who are well enough to return home safer because they would be less likely to pick up infections outside of hospital.
