Shropshire Star

Bed blocking total in Shropshire hospitals hits 103

More than 100 people are occupying beds in Shropshire's two main hospitals who do not need to be there, it has been revealed.

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Adrian Osborne, director of communications at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, told a meeting of Montgomeryshire Community Health Council that 103 patients are listed as being fit for transfer.

The problem of "bed blockers", where a patient is well enough to return home but cannot as there is nowhere for them to go, is still being looked at by the trust, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

Mr Osborne told the group, which was meeting for the last time, that the trust is looking at ways it can get large number of patients out when they no longer need the bed.

He said: "Urgent care demands are still high, not so much in number but the complexity of the needs they have. We have 103 patients who are fit for transfer, with half of these there for three days or more. Some of them are Powys patients.

"The way we see it is that any bed that has someone in it who doesn't need it is putting a bed out of action for someone who needs it.

"We see a mismatch in capacity in the number of patients at the peak of demand. When a large amount arrive in a short time it is hard to turn them around. The pace of it has to improve. The sustained high levels of exit block is a challenge."

Earlier this year, it was reported that the number of bed blockers peaked at 125 in January.

The CHC was meeting in Newtown for the last time before it today merged with Brecknock and Radnor CHC to become Powys CHC. It will still have offices in both Newtown and Brecon.

Mr Osborne also told the meeting that treating increasing numbers of patients from Wales is leading to increased financial pressures on Shropshire.

He was speaking after Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said the number of people travelling over the border for treatment at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's A&E or at one of the county's minor injuries units is costing the CCG an extra £700,000 a year.

He said: "For example, if I lived in Shrewsbury and had an accident in Hull and went to A&E there it would be charged back to Shropshire, that is how it works in England.

"But that doesn't happen cross-border. If I went to Wrexham and got hurt and went to the Maelor Hospital A&E, Betsi Cadwaladr would pay.

"The CCG is saying it is costing them £700,000 extra a year to do this."

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