Commenting on new data published in The Herald today [1], reporting that bed capacity had reached 96% in a number of Scottish hospitals this week, Dr Neil Dewhurst, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said,
“These latest figures would suggest that the levels of boarding and bed capacity in some Scottish hospitals remain worryingly, and unacceptably, high. They also provide further evidence of the extent to which the discredited practice of boarding has become the norm in our hospitals. It is of particular concern that we have experienced a relatively mild winter so far, with limited reports of outbreaks of infection. If we are honest, we have been lucky. Increases in the number of cases of flu or norovirus could change the picture dramatically and put severe pressure on hospital services which in some areas are already operating beyond capacity.
“There is clear evidence that the risk to patient safety increases incrementally when bed capacity is above 85%. Worryingly, bed capacity had already reached this level nationally before we even entered the winter. The Scottish Government has also recently and positively recognised that boarding is bad for patients and must be eliminated. It is therefore essential that greater priority is given to reducing boarding and that additional resources are allocated to ensure that we have a sufficient number of properly staffed hospital beds to provide the specialist care required by patients. In parallel, we have to ensure that there are adequate social care resources in the community to enable patients to be discharged from hospital as quickly as is possible.”
ENDS
Contact: Graeme McAlister on 0131-247-3693 or 07733-263453
