Collaboration and timely discharge free up hospital beds ahead of winter
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has freed up much needed hospital beds by reducing the number of medically safe patients waiting more than a day to be discharged.
NUH now has 100 fewer medically safe patients in hospital compared to a peak in 2023. This means patients return home quicker and ensures that beds are available for those who need them most this winter.
The average post medically safe length of stay has also reduced by over three days since 2017.
Medically safe patients are patients that no longer need to be in hospital from a clinical perspective but are unable to be discharged due to other factors.
Staff at NUH worked with colleagues across the health and care system to understand where and why discharge delays were happening and what could be done to mitigate them.
In collaboration with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System (ICS) NUH introduced a live data set that tracks patient progress called “One Version of the Truth”.
Staff across the ICS, including adult social care, access the data and work together to discharge patients back into the community.
This frees up much needed hospital beds, increases capacity to carry out planned surgery and eases the pressure on emergency pathways.
Dr Mark Simmonds, Deputy Medical Director at NUH said: “Winter is traditionally a much busier time across the NHS as the temperatures drop and winter viruses begin to spread.
“We know how frustrating it is for patients to be in hospital longer than they need to be so it’s fantastic that we have collaborated with colleagues across the Nottinghamshire health and care system to reduce our medically safe for discharge numbers.
“This approach supports earlier discharges out of hospital and reduces our patients’ length of stay meaning that beds are made available for those who need them the most.
“We are hopeful that by taking this long term, whole system improvement approach we will be able to maintain this position as much as possible as we head into winter.”
NUH has also introduced a number of further measures this winter to cope with increased demand including: opening more clinical space, changing the use of current clinical space, improved patient pathways and improved Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) pathways.
Dr Simmonds added: “We have a well-established approach to our winter planning at NUH. We anticipate that this is going to be a difficult winter but we hope to mitigate the impact and ensure a more positive experience and better outcome for our patients.
“The safety of our patients and the quality of the care we provide will always be our priority.
“Above all, we want you to stay well this winter. If you are eligible, please take up the offer of Covid and Flu vaccinations.
"Please only attend our Emergency Department in an emergency and use alternative services where possible, including 111 online, pharmacies or urgent treatment centres.
“By choosing the right service, you will be freeing up staff and vital hospital beds for those that need them the most.”
Families and neighbours can also support timely discharges by arranging to collect friends and relatives from hospital, speaking to staff about the suitability of their home and making sure they have everything they need to support recovery such as groceries and a warm home.