HEALTH bosses have admitted more needs to be done to help patients leave hospital faster once their treatment is finished.

At the end of last year people at Royal Bolton Hospital for ‘non elective’ stays were in-patients for an average 4.6 days before going home. The national target is 4.4 days.

While the stay fell from 4.7 days in November to 4.6 in December in Bolton, doctors believe more could be done to improve the discharge process.

At the NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group’s recent board meeting, members heard about the experience of a patient at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The patient, who was not named, spent five hours in the discharge room following an operation because of delays in receiving documentation and medication.

Her husband stated: “She had the best of care on admission and while on the ward, but the discharge was diabolical.

“What we experienced was utter chaos which needed managing.

“It was obvious to me that had this system been managed, discharge would have been much improved instead of chaos. The system is broken - it doesn’t need money throwing at it - just organisation and better links to transport.

“Some older people had been in there for nine hours and were still awaiting discharge and transport when we left.”

Delivering the report, CCG clinical director Colin Mercer said: “The story suggests other people go through the same processes day in and day out.

“The people in the processes are doing their best, but for whatever reasons some people are experiencing nine hour delays.

“This process is important for all, it is part of the flow of the hospital and if patients spend longer in the discharge room then it slows things down.

“This happens at hospitals every day.”

Factors highlighted for causing problems included a delay in getting medication and pressures on doctors to sign off any documentation needed.

Governance leader Tony Ward described the situation as ‘very frustrating’ having experienced it himself with a relative who waited up to 12 hours to be discharged from a hospital.

He also questioned whether the hospital was sending patients to the discharge area prematurely in order to ‘tick a box’.

Secondary care specialist Romesh Gupta echoed the sentiment but argued that too much onus was put on already stretched junior doctors to sign off the patient.

He explained: “It is a frustrating experience and only reflects the pressures felt by junior doctors.

“A department can have one or two who are all busy and when it comes to priorities, discharge comes after a patient in theatre or an emergency surgery.

“There might be a simple solution — things should be sorted out by a doctor, but someone else should be able to execute the action.

“If you depend on one professional to do this then of course you will always face delays.”

The board agreed to look into the matter further.