My friend is stuck in hospital because there are not enough staff to process his discharge

[Jacaranda75]

My friend has been in a London hospital for a couple of weeks now (not Covid). He has been well enough to go home for a few days, but the hospital are struggling as so many staff are off with Covid or isolating after becoming close contacts. They just don’t have enough medical staff on duty to cope with even basic procedures such as my friend’s discharge. So he’s stuck there. He’s fine, that’s not really the point.

Things are really bad at the moment. Especially in London. The NHS is on its knees. People saying it’s ‘just a mild illness’ need to think about the impact that it is having.

Can he not self discharge? Like - just leave?

He can just get up and go right?

He should discharge himself then, rather than stay there wasting precious resources.

@trashcanjunkie no they need to put something in place for him and organise transport.

@trashcanjunkie

Can he not self discharge? Like - just leave?

Indeed

He can't just leave if he needs new meds prescribing. I'm sorry op. Things are unbelievably shit. Quite a challenge to run a hospital with the staffing levels we currently have. I have never seen so many requests for swabs and lfts as I have today.

Another suggestion for self discharge. It would hardly be against medical advice if he is fit for discharge anyway.
This is what bed blocking is, and is a huge problem.

Lots of staff self isolating I guess. Hope he gets home soon

Oh dear

The NHS is truly fucked just now.

If he needs meds/transport/other he will have to sit it out, he shouldn't discharge himself unless it would be safe to do so.

@Flossieskeeper

If he self discharged then there is no follow up care arranged. Or he might not have the medication he needs- these are part of the discharge arrangements and he is as entitled to these “precious resources” as everyone else.

We’re struggling to discharge because of lack of carers. If patients just leave they’d end up back in A&E within 48hours so it’s not a realistic choice.

Yes this. Don't listen to reckless advice to just leave.

I feel your pain. I've cut myself today and trying my best to stay out of A&E but every service I contact won't help. The GP has an online form and won't answer the phone, the minor injuries clinic is 10 miles away but I can't drive (and 10 miles in a taxi costs a fortune). Private GP through work is just a video call and they had to pass me back to the NHS. 111 took 20 mins to answer and have to give me a call back, even though private gp has said I'll just need a tetanus shot in the next 48 hours.

All I need is a bloody gp/nurse appointment but they want to send me to my local A&E for a small cut that's already stopped bleeding. I'll get eyerolls, tutting about being a timewaster and an 8 hour wait, yet its their own system making me do this. Its wasteful on a massive scale.

To be honest, I feel more sorry for the nursing staff. Which is the point of my post really. My friend is OK.

[quote Jacaranda75]@trashcanjunkie no they need to put something in place for him and organise transport.[/quote]
Nothing needs to be in place for him to leave.

Is he waiting on hospital transport? Grab a cab, jump on a bus, arrange a friend to pick him up or walk?

We need to sort these things ourselves to keep the system moving.

You said he is fine.

What transport does he need? Ambulance? Is he not mobile independently?

Please don't listen to those blaming your friend for bed blocking. This is not his fault and I can't imagine anything worse than being stuck in hospital when you don't need to be.

The NHS is broken. Possibly irrevocably.

@LostForWords2021

You do not know what this person's care needs are - you can't just advise a person leave without medication, follow up care arranged, tests booked etc.

People saying it’s ‘just a mild illness’ need to think about the impact that it is having.
But in the vast majority of cases it is, and often it's not even that. It's expecting people to isolate with no symptoms that's the issue here.

Agree with @over2021 - this is absolutely not your friend's fault, it causes havoc when someone self-discharges, especially if they need to go back in again afterwards. It's short staffing caused by chronic underfunding and mismanagement in the NHS. It took me 15 mins to get a private GP on the phone tonight and they're a 24/7 service as well - its not a lack of doctors!

Jump on a bus?? OK then. No doubt if he could he would. There aren't many people currently admitted to hospital who can jump onto buses immediately afterwards.

The NHS is on its knees as a result of chronic underfunding. And because the UK is full of extremely unhealthy, obese people that take no responsibility for their own health but just expect the good old NHS to come to the rescue when their bad habits lead to health problems. In none of the public health announcements since the start of the virus outbreak, did any of the information say " eat well, exercise and keep an eye on your weight" and you will have less chance of getting really ill. Nah, instead loads of posts about how people have piled on the weight during lockdown. As if it's something to be proud of.

It sounds like he is waiting for a care package, or equipment. It has been a bank holiday and both social services and occupational therapy have been closed. If he needs his tablets in a blister pack, his local pharmacy (which makes up the blister pack) will also have been shut.

I have done a ward round of each of my inpatients every day since 23rd. Medical and nursing teams are fully staffed. I haven’t discharged anybody, because it’s been Christmas and I haven’t been able to put any community services in place for them. This happens every bank holiday, nothing to do with Covid.

[quote rrhuth]@LostForWords2021

You do not know what this person's care needs are - you can't just advise a person leave without medication, follow up care arranged, tests booked etc.[/quote]
I can only go by what is written here, it said he is fine? Make your own way home then?

Not fine is needing a care plan at home or a hospital ward bed, no?

My friend’s 82 year old grandmother was left on the floor waiting for an ambulance yesterday for 22 hours. She had a fall resulting in a broken hip.

@LostForWords2021

Someone can be 'fine' to go home if they have what they need, but it would not be fine if they were just to leave without that stuff being in place.

Without the right things in place, many conditions just get worse again and there is a need for readmission.