Why Delayed Hospital Discharges are Increasing
In the UK, a growing proportion of patients are staying in hospitals longer than needed. Some reports even suggest that people stay in the hospital for up to three weeks longer than necessary, which has only increased since December 2022. Understanding the reasons for the increased delay in hospital discharge should help us understand where the challenges lie, especially for longer-stay patients.
One reason people are not being discharged can be attributed to the health facility’s slow discharge process. People have been identified as fit for discharge but may still require further assessment or agreement on their future care. Additionally, 25% of supported individuals are waiting for proper in-home care. Still, the complexities arise when local authorities need to determine what exact service and support people may need. Some experts even argue that the increasing length of stay is an obstacle to discharge because the longer the stay, the more we can see health declining.
Also, up to 22% of people in prolonged hospital stays are waiting for a short-term bed for rehabilitation purposes, while 18% are waiting to be transitioned to a permanent care facility such as a nursing home. These are only some of the factors why delayed discharges from hospital increasing cause plenty of challenges.
Factors Contributing to Delayed Discharges
A combination of factors contribute to delayed discharges, ranging from administrative and systemic reasons to a lack of clinicians and staff burnout. These are among the most significant factors considered.
One of the leading causes also includes “bed blocking” or high bed occupancy concerns, which carries a negative connotation in itself, suggesting that the number of patients is the reason for delayed discharges. However, the reality is that this term explains the difficulty in discharging people because of the limited care and support available in that person’s community. These limitations create delays in the discharge process as authorities often believe there isn’t a safe space for the person to be discharged, which results in increased pressure on hospital beds while finding space for people who need immediate accommodation.
Another reason local authorities face challenges when discharging patients is that care providers face staffing shortages and low hospital capacity due to high cases of staff burnout, long hours, and challenging demands. The discharge process, on the other hand, is a complex process that is closely correlated with health and social care funding, and problems often include:
- Funding challenges
- Assessment challenges
- Waiting for other types of continued care
- Operational challenges
No matter the factors, the truth is that people who experience delayed discharge feel deep social isolation, anxiety and depression. The sense of being away from loved ones negatively affects a number of patients’ emotional, mental, and physical well-being, further contributing to delayed discharge.
Impact of Delayed Hospital Discharges
Hospital discharge delays negatively impact people’s health and significantly impact families and community mental health services. This complex challenge also impacts the entire healthcare system, directly affecting hospital resources, bed shortages, increasing costs, and compromising patient care.
The impact of delayed hospital discharge is different for everyone. However, it is known to contribute to mental health challenges, decreased mobility, and increased risk of adverse outcomes. An efficient discharge plan and improved social care coordination can help mitigate these concerns and ensure better resource utilisation while focusing on human rights and well-being.
Impact on Individuals
Delayed hospital discharge is proven to have adverse effects on individuals and their loved ones as it poses an increased risk of uncertainty about the continuity of their care journey. Statistics show that people who remain in hospital longer than required show dramatically reduced mental health, increased physical health challenges, and social isolation. From another perspective, not following a holistic approach and not putting people first is detrimental to people’s health and quality of life.
Also, we can’t forget that health professionals such as nurses face significant staff shortages, which results in burnout, preventing these experts from delivering the best possible care and support.
Impact on Healthcare Facilities
Delayed discharge’s impact on facilities includes the increased risk of acquiring more costs and needing more room for people requiring support while simultaneously straining the entire health system. Due to the lack of support to cope with the day-to-day pressure, healthcare professionals feel constant burnout and may develop mental health challenges. Hospital discharge delays also negatively impact the facility’s reputation, overshadowing the incredible work healthcare professionals do daily.
Strategies to Prevent Delayed Discharges
Local authorities face pressure to reduce delayed discharge and initially need to address the main factors causing the delays in the community. It is vital for local authorities to be strategic in their approach and set clear targets while closely collaborating with the community to ensure every person receives the proper care.
Improving the overall process will have a positive domino effect on all complexities associated with the delays. One way to reduce discharge delays is to invest in effective transitional care programs (TSP) to help people effectively transition from the hospital into the community.
The following steps also contribute to an effective strategy:
- Focusing on maintaining people’s independence
- Improving the quality of care
- Focusing on avoiding risks and improving future forecasting
- Utilising a better strategic approach
- Improving the overall patient experience
Improving Coordination and Communication
One critical step in preventing hospital-delayed discharges is improving communication and coordination between the community, healthcare facilities and local authorities.
Acknowledging past mistakes and turning them into a learning experience is the first step towards a transformative journey. As a care provider, Unique Community Services focuses on adapting, improving, and learning in collaboration with colleagues and experts across the system to ensure we deliver the best possible care in various community settings.
Home Care Services
Home care services are one of the better options for providing care and support after a hospital discharge, as they offer a safe environment for a person to continue receiving care in the comfort of their home. Through a person-centred approach, delivering care at home is how we at Unique Community Services aim to positively impact people’s lives and the greater community. Imposing this strategy requires close collaboration with the local authorities and families to develop the best solution and prevent prolonged hospital stays.
Transitional Care Programs
Utilising a transitional care program can help close the gap between delayed hospital discharges and transition people from hospitals faster, safer, and more efficiently. This method offers a gentle transition back into the community, which needs to be backed by a trusting, regulated provider that will continue delivering proactive care to individuals in their homes.
The Role of Healthcare Professionals
A preventive strategy and early intervention can help reduce the demand for acute health services. An improved approach to intermediate care, where people will receive high-quality rehabilitation and support, would promote timely discharge and reduce the risk of unnecessary hospital admission.
It is essential to have a coordinated and proactive approach where healthcare professionals will be vital in preventing discharge delays. Through clear communication, timely assessment, and health evaluation, healthcare teams can bring an aligned and clear decision based on facts and established criteria to discharge someone from the hospital. Furthermore, healthcare professionals facilitate efficient discharge planning by working closely with other specialists, social workers, home care services, post-op care and other multi-disciplinary teams.
Advocacy for Policy Changes
We have witnessed so many cases of people with learning disabilities, mental health challenges and even neurological differences being detained in hospitals due to a lack of consistent care in the community. Most often, when a person experiences a crisis situation, caregivers and family members are left without proper help and support; therefore, they admit their loved ones to a hospital where they stay for months and some even for years. The overwhelmed hospital system is therefore unable to provide person-centred and tailored care, which results in prolonged crisis periods, deteriorating mental health and worsening physical health.
Being vocal advocates for policy changes, Unique Community Services collaborates closely with local authorities, social workers, and other health and social care institutions to tackle this challenge, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays. By promoting preventive care and the well-being of the individuals we support, we focus on delivering exceptional at-home care and support and addressing people’s needs one step at a time.
Unique Community Services Contributes to Preventing Delayed Hospital Discharges
As a guiding rule, Unique Community Services ensures that all requirements under the Care Act 2014 are followed when delivering care. As part of the health and social care system and witnessing the many challenges this sector faces, we contribute to the local community by ensuring the delivery of regulated, high-quality care in the comfort of people’s homes.
Our offices are in Bristol, Manchester and Leeds to ensure better connectivity and collaboration with our local communities.
Contact us today to see how we can support you.
