Political maladministration to blame for unsafe hospital discharges, says Committee

Political maladministration to blame for unsafe hospital discharges, says Committee The incidence of unsafe discharge from NHS hospitals is unacceptably high as a result of political maladministration, says the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee report.

The PACAC inquiry found that the discharge failures identified by the PHSO report are not isolated incidents but rather examples of problems that patients, relatives and carers are experiencing more widely. Despite increased attention to the issue, it remains a persistent problem. There is a need for more data to be gathered on the scale and impact of these discharge failures.

Whilst excellent guidance on best discharge practice is available, the extent to which good practice is implemented varies across the country. Barriers to the implementation of best practice are prevalent both within hospitals and at the interface between health and social care. Pressures on resources and capacity within hospitals are leading to worrying and unsafe discharge practices. The Committee calls upon health and social care leaders to endure that staff are operating in a culture where person-centred care is the undisputed priority.

See also:

• Elderly people sent home from hospital in dead of night amid fundamental breakdown in system The Daily Telegraph
• Hospital overcrowding caused by 'political maladministration', say MPs The Guardian