Patients have been stuck at University Hospital Coventry for weeks on end amid a bed-blocking crisis in England. It is continuing to place immense pressure on the NHS in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Data from NHS England found that more than half of available hospital beds are out of bounds due to delayed discharges at NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across England. Around 12,700 people a day were told they could not leave despite being declared medically fit, according to Patient Claim Line.
It means that 53% of patients who no longer meet the criteria are ‘blocking’ hospital beds across England. Coventry and Warwickshire were found to have the second-highest percentage of medically fit patients waiting to be discharged, including at University Hospital Coventry in
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Patients may be told that they cannot leave for reasons such as awaiting the availability of a bed in a nursing home or waiting for medicines to take home, according to Patient Claim Line. Statistics revealed that the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) had the second-highest percentage of bed-blocking patients at a staggering 67 per cent as of April 30.
Birmingham and Solihull were the worst affected, with 80 per cent of beds being ‘blocked’ by patients who no longer needed treatment, according to Patient Claim Line. Behind Coventry and Warwickshire were Chesire and Merseyside, where 65 per cent of available beds were taken up by patients well enough to be discharged.
