Elderly fit patients occupy hospital bed

ELDERLY patients who are fit to be discharged are occupying up to 600 public hospital beds daily at an annual cost of €100 million to the State and clogging up the health system.

Secretary general of the Irish Hospital Consultant's Association (IHCA) Finbarr Fitzpatrick said the cost per bed per week was 3,500 10 times the cost of nursing home accommodation. Mr Fitzpatrick said it was unacceptable that elderly patients were forced to remain in hospital because of a severe shortage of post-acute beds, denying bed spaces to patients admitted through A&E or awaiting elective surgery. A spokesman for the Department of Health said the pressure would be alleviated with new beds due under the National Health Strategy, but of 709 beds due in the system by the end of the year, only 258 have come on stream to date.

The spokesman said 600 would be in service by the end of the year and the remainder early next year.