More than 144,500 bed days were lost at hospitals across the State in the first six months of this year as a result of the delayed discharge of patients, writes Eithne Donnellan. This was 70 per cent more than last year, new figures show.
The figures, provided by the Health Service Executive, indicate the problem is particularly acute in the Dublin area, with 27,279 bed days lost at St James’s Hospital alone. A further 20,000 were lost at Beaumont, 18,000 at the Mater, 11,000 at Tallaght hospital, 8,000 at St Vincent’s and 7,700 at Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown.