Incredible: a patient waited almost 1,400 days to be discharged
An unusual situation was recently reported at a hospital in Wales: after receiving confirmation from the doctor that he is fit for discharge, a patient waited almost four years to leave the hospital.
The patient – whose name was not revealed – has a ”serious mental condition” as well as physical health problems. He has been in the hospital for over 1,338 days, although being declared fit for leaving the hospital.
The situation was reported in a letter sent by Vaughan Gething, secretary within the Ministry of Health.
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”No patient should have to wait almost four years to be discharged from hospital. While bed blocking is extremely costly for the NHS in Wales, the real cost is the quality of life of patients for whom it affects,” he explained.
Moreover, he emphasized the fact that this case is not singular and gave two other patients as an example, that also found themselves in similar ”blockings” of one and a half years each.
In this context, the situation was labeled as ”scandalous” by Gething.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson from the Welsh Government declared that those cases are exceptions, and that these kinds of delays are at the lowest level in the past 12 years.
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