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.
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Like all health boards in Wales, Swansea Bay is under “extreme pressure”, with high numbers of very sick patients attending hospitals. On Monday, the health board asked people not to attend the A&E department at Morriston Hospital unless they have a life-threatening illness or injury. It said it would treat the sickest patients first and that anyone with a minor injury or illness who attended would be waiting “a very long time to be seen.”
Just a day later, a call has been made for relatives of patients to do all they can to help free up beds at Morriston and other hospitals across the region. Dr Rhodri Edwards, clinical chair for medicine at Swansea Bay Health Board, said: “We are asking families to get together and work out if they are in a position to help their relative to go home earlier. It would be really helpful if they could find ways to provide some temporary support for a short period, just while the care or re-ablement packages are being organised.
“This will not only be a great help to the NHS by helping us free up more beds for sick patients who are waiting for them, but it will substantially benefit their relative. Hospital really isn’t the best place for someone who no longer needs acute care. There is a real risk to patients staying on in an acute hospital bed that they will catch an infection from sick patients. Or they can become deconditioned - begin to lose strength and ability – by not being up and about enough. Prolonged hospital stays often lead to loss of muscle mass and other side effects like constipation and falls, so the sooner a patient is home the better.”
The health board has reiterated that, for minor injuries, patients should attend the Minor Injury Unit (MIU) at Neath Port Talbot Hospital or use the NHS Wales 111 online symptom-checker for advice. Patients can also call NHS Wales 111 for advice, and get free over-the-counter treatments for a wide range of common ailments at their local pharmacy.
On Tuesday, the Welsh Government advised people in Wales to wear masks in public if they have any signs of a respiratory infection. The guidance is in response to high levels of flu and Covid in Wales which continue to put “unprecedented demand” on the NHS. A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The NHS is facing unprecedented demand this winter. There are high levels of flu and Covid circulating. To keep everyone safe and reduce pressure on the NHS, if you have symptoms please try to stay at home and not visit health and care settings. If you have symptoms and have to go out, wear a face covering. Anyone with non-life-threatening conditions is advised to use the NHS Wales 111 website in the first instance. We thank the people of Wales for supporting and protecting our health service.”
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