Bed Blocking !

[modeller]

I was told at 5 pm on a recent Frid that, following a negative blood test result, I could go home . However an hour later I was told because all the consultants had gone home I would have to stay until they had the next ward round the following Mon afternoon, which meant that I wouldn't be able to leave before the Tuesday. In the event after I complained they did discharge me on the Mon evening with incomplete documentation. Two other patients in the ward were similarly effected. No wonder bed blocking is a national scandal.

[rockyracoon]

Chuff that, I'd have just gone home.

[gness]

Oh tell me about it Modeller....MrG was in an out of hospital for years. This happened so often I began to think it was a way of keeping an "easy" patient for the weekend.....x

[Gavmacp]

I have never understood the mon to fri 9-5 attitude in the NHS.

[gness]

Rocky....I did that when I had grommets last year....I never have been discharged.
But sometimes, depending on your condition, you need lots of drugs and they just won't give them to you.....x

[Sqad]

Bed blocking would disappear overnight if the NHS was privatised, neither the patient or the Insurance company would stand for it.

Bed blocking has been a feature of the NHS since it's inception.

[modeller]

There seems to be two schools of thought .
1. Get the patient home ,cured or not , between Tues and Thur .
2. Don't discharge anyone between Frid pm Mon pm
To ensure that,: all consultants apart from one all purpose junior ( for emergencies ) go home for their long , long weekends . This also means whole departments with all their high tech equipment are not used or underused for much of the time.

I should add that the non medical practice was/is just as bad if not worse.
Every ward I was in over a period of six months suffered from faulty electrics and plumbing. Faults that I had reported months earlier. However that is another long story .

[vakayu]

We are all well aware by now not to become ill at week-ends!