Briggs: Critical Care delayed discharges at the Western General remain highest in Scotland

This week’s Audit of Critical Care in Scotland report has revealed that the critical care unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh has significantly higher delayed discharge rates than the rest of Scotland.

Unit R3, the critical care unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, had 60% of patients having a delay of four hours or more, compared to the Scottish average of 46% patients waiting over four hours to be discharged.

The unit had the highest rate of delayed discharge for the previous year as well, 2017, also with 60% of patients having a delay of four hours or more.

There is currently higher patients acuity on the surgical wards than is recommended and the Western General Hospital SHDU have submitted a business case for the expansion of the ward. 

The report stated that these issues of delayed discharge continue to be a challenge for critical care units mostly due to capacity issues in other areas of the hospitals.

The publication goes on to highlight staffing shortages in particular areas and “difficulty in filling medical and nursing staff posts”.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary said: “Delayed discharge at the critical care unit in the Western General Hospital remains the highest in Scotland, for a second consecutive year.

“It is vital that NHS Lothian seriously consider the business case for expanding the critical care unit at the Western General SHDU for patients safety and to reduce rates of delayed discharge.

“The SNP’s mismanagement of our health service means that patients are staying in inappropriate settings far more often, which is bad for them and frustrating for their families.

“Only Ruth Davidson’s Scottish Conservatives will focus on primary care to alleviate the capacity pressures elsewhere in the health service.”

SICSAG-report

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davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

2 thoughts on “Briggs: Critical Care delayed discharges at the Western General remain highest in Scotland”

    1. Miles Briggs is the Conservative health spokesperson at Holyrood, and as the official opposition their views are relevant, whether we agree wth them or not. The NHS is a much-loved institution but we are all aware of the challenges it faces. The question is: would you trust the Tories to run our NHS better than the current administration does?

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