by Louise Doyle
THERE were more than 500 delayed discharges from Letterkenny University Hospital last year because of a lack of step down availability or home care provision.
In all, 552 discharges were delayed at LUH in 2023.
The figure was provided to Cllr Gerry Crawford at the latest Regional Health Forum West meeting, when he sought to know how many hospital discharges were set back over the course of 2023 due to the absence of step down or home care provision.
According to the figures, the majority of delayed discharges (357) were due to awaiting step down to a community nursing unit/district hospital or HSE facility.
A total of 183 discharges from LUH were delayed due to a patient awaiting carer availability.
Twelve patients experienced a delayed discharge from LUH due to awaiting rehabilitation in designated older persons beds (under governance of Consultant Geriatrician) in community setting.
Cllr Crawford said that while hours are being approved, they are not being activated because of a lack of staff.
“There is definitely a shortfall to requirement,” he said.
Referring to a letter at the meeting, Cllr Crawford also raised his concerns that those who have hours approved and who are awaiting confirmation of when those hours can begin are being discouraged from contacting their local office.
The letter reads: “Due to extensive waiting lists and the changeable nature of home support, the HSE is not in a position to provide an estimated timeline for when home help support may become available. This will be entirely dependant on the clinical priority of the individual and the resources available in your area.
“We would kindly ask if you refrain contact your local office during the waiting period as either the home help support officer approved by the provider will contact you as soon as service can commence.”
Cllr Crawford: “I think that that is wrong. I think (to tell people) who are waiting, who are under pressure and stress, that they can’t contact an element or an arm of the HSE to ask a question is wrong.”
He said that not everyone is “trigger happy with their fingers on a computer”.
“These are elderly people at home with an elderly relative. I don’t want to get raised about this, but are you asking people who can’t use a computer not to make contact with local offices.”
In response, he was told there are “systems in place” to try to reduce delayed hospital discharges.
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