Louth TD says 14,941 lost bed days in Our Lady of Lourdes due to delayed discharges

Louth TD Declan Breathnach, has said the Government must get serious on delivering home care supports which, he says, would go some way to alleviating the growing problem of delayed discharges.

Deputy Breathnach was commenting as figures revealed to Fianna Fáil show that 14,941 bed days were lost at Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda since the start of this year. This figure is the second highest in the country and the highest of any hospital outside of Dublin.

The Fianna Fáil TD said:

“Lost bed days mean there were people eligible to be discharged from Our Lady of Lourdes but had no access to an appropriate step-down care facility or home help provision. Instead they are stuck in a bed which they don’t want to be in in the first place.

“Almost 15,000 lost bed days in one hospital is outrageous. The simple fact is that there is nowhere else for them to go and this is putting huge pressure on the rest of the hospital network, which is in desperate need for the spare capacity.

“13,000 people aged over 75 are enduring waits in A&E’s for more than 24 hours. They are enduring these waits because there is no room for them in the wards.

"There is no room for them in the wards because people who are eligible and want to go home can’t. They can’t go home because there are no suitable supports in place for them to do so. This vicious cycle is going to continue for as long as the Government ignore the solutions.

“We need more home support hours, home care packages and respite support for families. Only when these are in place will we see these numbers drop”, concluded Deputy Breathnach.