Booted Out.

It seems we are rapidly sinking into third world country status! A report in today's papers says that up to 8000 patients per week are being kicked out of their hospital beds between the hours of 11pm and 6am to make room for more seriously ill patients. That is appalling.

Re: Booted Out.

I heard this on radio 4 yesterday. they were interviewing a spokesman from the NHS. Apparently although they accept that this does happen, the true number is a fraction of the 8000 reported. The figures the papers were reporting were from several NHS trusts using different methods and criteria. They also included people who discharged themselves and casualty patients that hadn't even been admitted.
But that said, even one is one too many in my opinion.

Re: Booted Out.

I can vouch for this.

My mother was admitted to a care home when diagnosed with dementia, during which time she was allowed to starve herself. At one point, she was so weak she fell over and hurt herself on a table and was taken to hospital with suspected concussion. After a short stay, she was given the all clear but then had no means of getting her from the hospital back to the home and the hospital set about her discharge at around 2:00am. On hearing this, I had to get out of bed, jump in my car and collect her and take her back to the home because there was no one else to do it. The hospital just wanted her out and were prepared to make her sit around in cold corridors until such time someone could pick her up.

What a wonderful caring NHS system we have.

Re: Booted Out.

I think the thing to remember is that hospitals are for the real sick.
I speak myself from experience having been in hospital 10 or more times in the last 10 years, my last visit only 4 weeks ago. This last visit was for the same procedure I had last year, and yes there was a difference, instead of staying overnight as I was booked in for, I was asked if I would like to go home that evening, twenty four hours early.
They told me that lots of people are occupying essential beds just to convalesce when it was a fact they fully recovered better at home than in a hospital.
I think we would soon moan if they was to tell patients that they couldn't accept them because there was no room at the inn.
I found once instead of going home at the time allocated, I was in for 14 days, 11days longer so someone somewhere had to miss out.
In Grahams case I think that was wrong and prior arrangements should have been made, but with wards being shut down the number of beds available has been reduced and it must be a big headache for the administration of the hospitals.
It is obvious that the folks being sent home were in no danger otherwise we would have had the headlines, but they should tell everybody that if they are well enough to go home to recover, it could be anywhere in 24 hours and to make sure phone numbers are exchange with the folks bringing you home.
When they have to admit really sick people in the early hours someone has to make way for them.

Re: Booted Out.

You've hit the nail on the head there Wrinkly. If the lessser of two evils is to discharge vulnerable people in the middle of the night without prior notification, what further proof is needed that the NHS is no longer "fit for purpose".

Re: Booted Out.

I think that's a bit of a leap you made there Alan.

Like Wrinkly said, he was asked if he wanted to go home 24 hours early. Not discharged and turfed out. How can you equate that to the NHS not being fit for purpose?

I think it would be less fit for purpose if people were turned away without treatment because they were full.

I've every admiration for the job our doctors and nurses do with the resources they have available. If anyone is to blame for the lack of beds situation that the NHS has been dealing with for a lot of years now, it's attributable to the lack of funds available to them. More of a central government problem I would have thought.

Re: Booted Out.

I experienced the opposite of that in April last year. I was taken into hospital at around 10 p.m. on a Monday night, but didn't get to see a doctor until around 1.30 a.m. as A&E was very busy, and some emergencies came in which were wheeled straight through.

On the Thursday, the consultant came round in the early afternoon and was satisfied that I could go home that day, so my brother was informed to pick me up.

I got dressed immediately and asked the staff where I might wait until my transport arrived. However, I was told that I had to stay by my bed until such time. I argued that, as it was a specialist unit I was in, surely the bed was needed for somebody else, but they still made me wait about four hours before they'd actually let me go.

However, turfing folk out late at night or in the early hours is just not acceptable. A hospital has a duty of care and usually they don't like patients to use public transport after being discharged, which don't exist after 11 p.m. in many areas, and a taxi could be beyond the means of someone's purse.

Re: Booted Out.

I hope if I'm every a seriously ill patient they boot someone with a minor ailment out for me.

Re: Booted Out.

That I do agree with. I was frustrated. I'd been discharged, but they wouldn't let me go.

Re: Booted Out.

Got it in one Jimmy!
Look we expect to go in if ill in the night, so we should expect to be turfed out in the night if we are OK and they need our bed.
Mollie in our hospital they have a discharge suite with TV and drinks machine, and it is manned, whether this facility is available in the night, I am not sure.
We must remember that they are short of money and short of beds, so we have to get used to it.
But I will say it again they should have a telephone number of next of kin to see you get home.
Years ago we had convalescent homes for folks to go to, perhaps this is what is missing now,