MORE THAN 20,000 bed days were lost at Cork hospitals in 2009 due to delayed discharges with Cork University Hospital accounting for more than half of the bed days lost, the HSE South Regional Forum has been told.
According to figures released by the HSE South, some 11,129 bed days were lost at CUH due to delayed discharges compared with 3,815 bed days lost at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and 3,433 days lost at the Mercy University Hospital.
While some 60 per cent of those who experienced delayed discharge at CUH were over 65, the overall figure across all Cork hospitals was much higher with over 75 per cent of those who experienced delayed discharge being more than 65 years of age.
The figures, which also revealed that 2,406 bed days were lost at Bantry General Hospital, were provided by the HSE South in response to a motion from Fine Gael Cllr John Buttimer who sought details on the number of delayed discharges and their impact on other services.
According to HSE South managers, the reasons for delayed discharges varied. Among the possible reasons for delayed discharges were if a patient was awaiting the processing of a Nursing Home Subvention Scheme application or awaiting an external rehabilitation such as the National Rehabilitation Hospital or awaiting hospice care.
Cllr Buttimer had also sought information on the number of procedures that were postponed or cancelled because of delayed discharges and the number of patients who had to spend nights on trolleys in emergency departments because of delayed discharges.
According to the HSE South, some 1,520 planned inpatient and day cases were cancelled at hospitals in Cork and Kerry in 2009 but it was impossible to quantify accurately which of these could be directly attributed to delayed discharges.
Similarly it was not possible to identify which patients waiting in emergency departments at hospitals such as CUH, the South Infirmary Victoria, the Mercy, Mallow, Bantry and Kerry General Hospitals were unable to access a bed directly because of delayed discharges.
During the meeting, HSE South regional director of operations, Pat Healy, revealed that reducing average length of stay in hospital was one of the areas in which the agency hopes to increase efficiencies this year to stay within its €1.9 billion operating budget for the year.
Mr Healy said that a reduction of average length of hospital stay for patients along with a move from inpatient to day admission treatment and hospital avoidance measures are aimed at achieving savings of some €22 million this year.
Further efficiencies are projected to result in savings of another €50 million while an increase in charges will bring in a further €22 million, said Mr Healy.