HOSPITAL bosses at the Countess have hit back at claims they sent patients home in the middle of the night to relieve pressure on beds.
Chief executive Peter Herring made a statement after the Liverpool Road-based trust was named among the highest ranking in the UK for discharging patients between 11pm and 6am last year.
Data from a Freedom of Information request revealed that 7.2 per cent of all patients at the Countess were discharged within those hours – the second highest percentage of 100 trusts which responded.
Fears have been raised by patient campaigners who said the elderly were among the worst affected, often being sent home to empty houses.
But Mr Herring said the figures included all types of discharges, such as maternity patients, renal dialysis patients and urgent transfers from other hospitals.
He said it also included A&E patients who did not require subsequent admission.
Mr Herring said: “The number of patients discharged directly from wards at night by the Trust is a very small proportion of our discharges.
“Patient safety is our number one priority and where patients are discharged later at night we always ensure they are comfortable with the discharge arrangements and that they are not discharged against their will at inappropriate times.”
The investigation by The Times showed rates varied between 8.7 per cent and less than one per cent across the trusts.
Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, vowed to take action.
He said: “I am concerned to hear that some patients may be being discharged unnecessarily late.
“Patients should only be discharged when it’s clinically appropriate, safe and convenient for them and their families. It is simply not fair to be sending people home late at night. We will look at this.”
source: chesterfirst.co.uk
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