More Hartlepool patients being released sooner from hospital

Delayed hospital discharges were down for the first six months of 2017-18

Targets for people staying linger than necessary in hospital were not hit in 2016-17.

Waits for nursing beds to become available accounted for just over 40% of delays.

But in the first six months of 2017-18 delayed discharges of care in Hartlepool were more than 10% under target.

Members of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Adult Services Committee welcomed the improving picture.

During the first quarter of the year patients were delayed in leaving hospital by a total of 1,190 days against a target figure of 1,279.

In the following three months, patients spent 882 days longer than necessary in hospital compared to a target of no more than 1,073.

It meant for the first six months of the year delayed discharges were 244 days under the target.

Between April and June 2016, Hartlepool saw a 116% increase in delayed discharges, at just over 1,300 days.

Jill Harrison, the council’s director of adult and community based services, said: “We hope that performance for the remainder of the year continues to be positive.

“We hope to be on target at the end of the year which is a huge improvement on last year.”

Significant improvements in nursing bed availability is said to have contributed to the improved situation after the opening of Rossmere Park care home in May last year and more expected developments.

The development of an Integrated Discharge Team was also cited for helping to speed up the process.

It includes a senior social worker, the Assessment Reablement Team (ART) from Stockton on Tees Borough Council; Emergency Care Therapy Team (ECTT) and an Occupational Therapist from Ward 36 at Hartlepool hospital.

Other factors include greater weekend working of professionals and support to care homes to maintain capacity.

Councillor Stephen Thomas, chair of the committee, said: “It is an improving picture. It is one we hope to see further improvements in.

“Following a recent visit from the CQC (Care Quality Commission) it highlighted improvements that have bene made in this area and I think reflects some of the initiatives that the local authority has made which has helped bring about these improvements.

“It is certainly something we will be keeping a close eye on.”

Longer than necessary hospital stays can lead to picking up hospital-based infections and extra pressure on the health service.