This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Targets beaten for moving patients out of hospital
31/05/2006
Most NHS boards and local authorities have surpassed targets set to reduce the number of patients delayed in hospital while waiting for appropriate care, according to the latest figures.
There has been a 21.7 per cent decrease in the number of patients delayed for more than six weeks from April 2005 to April 2006, against a target of 20 per cent.
However, Deputy Health Minister Lewis Macdonald now wants local authorities and NHS Boards to go further by reducing delayed discharge figures to zero by April 2008.
Mr Macdonald said:
"These figures show local authorities and NHS Boards are continuing to deliver for patients. Overall they have exceeded targets set by the Executive to tackle delayed discharge. Today's figures are testimony to the hard work of partnerships for which they deserve credit.
"Exceptional progress has been made since the launch of our Action Plan in March 2002 as the total number of patients waiting who are delayed for over six weeks has decreased by 73 per cent.
"It is vital that this excellent progress is sustained and reductions continue until we have eliminated this problem completely.
"I want partnerships to go further and that is why we have set new challenging targets for 2007 and 2008. New targets will reduce patients delayed over the six-week discharge planning period to zero by 2008.
"Challenging targets have been set for a very good reason - patients should not have to stay in hospital when their treatment is complete. It is not good for patients or the NHS and we should never forget that behind these figures are real people.
"It is clear today that some Partnerships are making better progress than others and we expect those who have not met their targets on this occasion to make up lost ground soon.
"We will continue to work closely with NHS boards and local authorities to ensure fewer patients are staying in hospital longer than they need to."
A definition of 'ready for discharge' is an inpatient whose move on to the next stage of care is delayed for non-clinical reasons.
Around 680,000 patients are discharged each year from hospital in Scotland. On the April 2006 census date, 1,046 patients were ready for discharge in Scotland but were unable to do so for a variety of reasons.
Here are the findings of the April 2006 quarterly statistics compared to April 2005 figures:
- 498 patients ready for discharge were delayed for more than six weeks in April 2006 compared to 636 in April 2005 (a 21.7 per cent decrease)
- A total of 1046 patients ready for discharge were delayed in April 2006 compared to 1,332 in April 2005 (a 21.5 per cent decrease)
- The number of patients delayed for one year or more was 19 in April 2006 compared to 17 in April 2005 (an 11.8 per cent increase). However the total number of patients delayed for more than one year since the launch of the Delayed Discharge Action Plan in March 2002 has decreased by 91 per cent
There is an overall long-term increase in activity relating to older people in the health service. Demographic trends show that the number of older people in Scotland will continue to rise over the next 20 years.
The 2004 Spending Review continued the Executive's commitment of £30 million a year to help local authorities and NHS Boards tackle delayed discharge until 2007-08.
National targets were set to achieve an annual 20 per cent reduction in all patients ready for discharge and for waits over six weeks, starting from the April 2004 census. However new targets announced in January 2006 now overtake these.
The new targets are:
- To reduce all delays over six weeks by 50 per cent by April 2007
- To free-up 50 per cent of all beds occupied by delayed patients in short-stay (acute) beds by April 2007
- To reduce to zero the number of patients delayed over six weeks by April 2008
- To reduce to zero people delayed in short-stay (acute) beds by April 2008
Partnerships will be measured against April 2006 delayed discharge statistics.