THE chairman of a Scottish health board has written to ministers warning the backlog of patients lying in hospital beds is a "risk to both patients and staff".
THE chairman of a Scottish health board has written to ministers warning the backlog of patients lying in hospital beds is a "risk to both patients and staff".
Allan Burns, chairman of NHS Fife, expressed "grave concerns" about the number of patients being looked after in the regions hospitals who are well enough to leave but can't because they need care set up in the community.
In the letter Mr Burns said: ??At time of writing, our delayed discharges are at their highest level since 2011. We estimate the cost of this on our acute service to be in the region of £3.6m a year.
??While we operate a safe hospital we are experiencing much higher levels of risk to both patients and staff.??
The chairman goes on to admit NHS Fife remains one of the worst areas in Scotland for bed blocking. Fife Council??s budget for social care is overspent by £15m amid increased demand for services from the growing elderly population.
The letter from Mr Burns was sent to Alex Neil, who was Scottish Health Secretary until last month when he was replaced by Shona Robison in a cabinet reshuffle.
Alex Rowley, Labour MSP for Cowdenbeath and a former leader of Fife Council, called for an independent review of NHS Fife.
He said; ??The letter is damning, especially as it comes from the chairman of NHS Fife and supports the concerns we??ve been raising.??
Dr Richard Simpson, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife and public health spokesman for the party, said: ??SNP Ministers are in denial about the scale of the problems facing Scotland??s health boards. This week alone we??ve had critical reports about NHS Grampian and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Greater Glasgow and Glasgow Royal.
??The SNP may have changed Health Secretary but it is time they got a grip. Scotland??s patients deserve better."
The Scottish Government has begun work to improve the flow of patients through hospitals amid growing concern about the level of delayed discharges nation wide. New joint boards which will bring together regional NHS staff and council care services are expected to help start tackling the problem from next April.
Ms Robison said: "My meeting on Wednesday with NHS Fife and Fife Council was positive and constructive. The council and health board confirmed they have a clear and agreed delayed discharge plan that they are committed to implementing. This includes getting up to 60 delayed discharge patients home before Christmas. They have also set aside joint funding to cover the plan for the rest of the financial year.
"Earlier this year the Scottish Government provided NHS Fife with £836,000 in funding to address delayed discharge and we will continue to work with the health board and council as we move towards integration in 2015, which will aim to see more people cared for in their own home or homely setting.
"I have offered to meet with the council and health board again early in the new year to review joint progress and the Scottish Government will be closely monitoring and supporting the actions being taken throughout the coming weeks."
Mr Burns said in a public statement: "Like many other boards, NHS Fife has faced increased pressure on the hospital system due to a high number of patients remaining in hospital and who would be better cared for in their community.
"Over recent months, a number of very constructive discussions have taken place between NHS Fife, the Scottish Government and Fife Council. These discussions have resulted in significant progress being made to address the challenges we currently face.
"An agreement has now been reached between all parties and a plan has now been implemented that should greatly reduce the number of patients whose discharge is currently delayed. This involved significant resources from Scottish Government, along with a joint financial commitment of £1million from NHS Fife and Fife Council in this fiscal year.
"This will allow us to ease pressure on the hospital system and ensure that we can continue providing safe, quality care to our patients."
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