YP Letters: Stop blaming '˜bed-blockers' for NHS crisis of management

WHY do you perpetuate such negative language about people, mainly older people, being unable to leave hospital often because support services are not available in the community to enable them to return home? We shouldn’t assume that because their medical treatment has been completed that they are ’fit’ to be discharged. Clearly they are not without a range of support services. It is not the patient’s problem that they are unable to leave hospital because the systems across health and social care not working together.

Yes, we know that there are limited funds available in local authorities but it is not beyond the wit of man to see clearly that, where expensive hospital beds are not released for the next patient, that same NHS funding could be used to purchase short stay beds in care homes until a care package could be arranged for the patient to return home. Any older person staying in hospital longer than necessary is at great risk from infections and losing independence such that they may require long term residential care at more expense than returning home with support.

This sort of joined up thinking for the benefit of real people – not ‘bed blockers’ – was more evident 15 years ago than it is now. Please show some respect the people caught up the middle.