Bed-blocking at Perth’s Murray Royal Hospital has reached “crisis point”, according to a city councillor.
Heather Stewart is seeking an urgent meeting with health chiefs to establish what action is being taken to tackle the delay in discharging patients.
She said: “I will be writing to the chairman of NHS Tayside, Professor John Connell, seeking clarification on the position at the hospital where bed-blocking appears to be prevalent.
“This is a £75 million facility which caters for the mental wellbeing of people throughout Tayside but as the bed-blocking numbers are so high this must be having a detrimental effect on its ability to function.
“What happens to vulnerable individuals who are needing help when this facility is running at full capacity? What is going wrong?
“The knock-on effect of this has serious consequences for the patients, their families and the community.”
Mrs Stewart added: “This has reached crisis point and it is imperative that NHS Tayside has a contingency plan to manage this in the short and medium term and ensure patients’ futures are secure both at the beginning and the end of their treatment.
“This situation has huge implications for Perth and Kinross Council as well as NHS Tayside and a managed solution requires to be found. I look forward to meeting with Professor Connell to discuss the options they have to alleviate this crisis.”
NHS Tayside’s director of community services, Bill Nicoll, responded: “Discharge from hospital can be delayed for a number of reasons, including when waiting for admission to care homes, social care assessment, provision of equipment or care at home services.
“Our commitment to patients is that they should not have to wait unnecessarily for the most appropriate care to be provided after treatment, however many patients in Murray Royal Hospital will have very complex needs and require specialist care provision upon discharge from hospital.
“NHS Tayside is working very closely with the local authority social care team in Perth and Kinross to avoid unnecessary delays in discharging patients from hospital.”