Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) is suffering a bed blocking crisis involving more than 20 elderly patients, it has been claimed.
Councillor Alexander Stewart, whose Perth City South ward includes the hospital, told The Courier he feels the situation is “moving into dangerous territory” and the council is “picking up the tab”.
Mr Stewart said that 27 patients are the victims of delayed discharges and blamed efforts to combat the problem for Perth and Kinross Council’s £580,000 overspend.
“I have expressed concerns in the past when we have gone above 10 but the current situation of 27 is more than double this amount,” he said.
“I believe when we get to these levels we are moving into dangerous territory, both for patients and staff alike.
“More and more elderly people are needing hospital treatment and with winter almost upon us this is an ongoing problem, not some sort of blip.”
Mr Stewart said he was told the “lion’s share” of a near £580,000 overspend on care of the elderly was being used to try to combat bed blocking.
“Perth and Kinross is expecting a significant rise in the number of older people requiring some care over the next decade, therefore this is not going to go away and we must address this now before this crisis becomes a catastrophe,” he added.
“If this problem isn’t resolved then it will have huge consequences on council budgets.
“What is required is a complete review of this situation to make sure that we have the resources and manpower available at the right time to enable these patients to return home with the appropriate care packages in place.”
Bill Nicol, NHS Tayside’s director of community services, said discharge from hospital can be delayed for a number of reasons, including the need for arrangements to be made for admission to care homes or for care at home services.
He said: “Our commitment to patients is that they should not have to wait unnecessarily for the most appropriate care to be provided after treatment. NHS Tayside is working very closely with the local authority social care teams in Perth and Kinross to avoid unnecessary delays in discharging patients from hospital.”
A council spokesperson said: “Between 2010-13, the number of unplanned admissions to hospital of older people in Perth and Kinross changed little. Within this figure, however, that proportion who required social care support in order to leave hospital, particularly reablement and homecare, rose by 50%.
“The number of people awaiting discharge from hospital fluctuates daily. Options for addressing any backlog are continuously reviewed.
“This continuous analysis of numbers, pressure points within hospitals and support options link directly to our wider Reshaping Older People’s Care agenda, which informs the development of sustainable support to older people with health and social care needs.
“There are currently 24 older people awaiting discharge in Perth Royal Infirmary.”