Mark H Durkan says discharge deaths very worrying
The added stress caused to patients and their families is not only unfair, it is frustrating given the situation is “entirely avoidable.”
Said the Foyle MLA: “Not only do delayed discharges cause bed blockages in an already struggling health service, they stop elderly patients and the terminally ill from being cared for at home or in the community.
“It is wrong that terminally ill patients, and their families, are having to spend the remaining time they have with their loved ones on a hospital ward unnecessarily.
“To ensure we overcome this, it is imperative we see more joint up working between departments, namely the Department of Health and the Department of Finance to address shortages and gaping holes in adult social care services.”
Tags: