Hospital bed blocking in Wolverhampton among worst in UK, with 2,300 days lost

Patients spent more than 10,000 days in hospital in a single month in the West Midlands when they should have been discharged or transferred.

And 2,291 of these were in Wolverhampton, which was the third highest in England.

And that figure has almost trebled since December – a month that bosses argued was the busiest of the year.

It reveals a huge backlog in the social care system, with patients unable to leave hospital as their referrals are not ready or accommodation has not been sorted.

The number of lost days is gradually falling in other parts of the region but at a slower rate than NHS chiefs wanted.

In Dudley 936 days were lost, which is just 19 lower than in December. But Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust lost 489 days, down from 970 in December. Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's total has also plummeted to 68 from 263.

Meanwhile there were 1,072 lost days at University Hospitals North Midlands, which runs Stafford's County Hospital, along with 768 in Worcestershire, 860 at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, and 1,327 and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Partnership Trust. In Wolverhampton a total of 944 of the delayed days were caused by assessments not being completed in time, with 395 due to the patient waiting for a care package in their own home.

Council and NHS chiefs say they are working hard to tackle the problem but admit it will take time.

Wolverhampton Council spokesman Paul Brown said: "With our partners, we are working on a number of joint initiatives which are helping to improve discharge times in Wolverhampton.

"A key part of this is the work being carried out through the Better Care Fund by the council, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, which specifically seeks to reduce unnecessary emergency admissions to hospital and delayed transfers of care.

"We are also increasing our investment in reablement services which are designed for people who need help and support to maintain their independence or regain the skills and confidence they need to live independently."

Gwen Nuttall, chief operating officer for the trust, said: "Patient care is, and always will be, our number one priority.

"Complexity in the needs of some patients can cause delay but we are working hard with our partners to improve.

"Once it is safe for a patient to be discharged it is to everyone's benefit that this is done so as quickly as possible."