More than 71,000 patients were returned to the hospital just a day after they were sent home, according to figures.
The number of readmissions increased by a third in four years, according to figures, with experts blaming a serious hospital bed shortage.
They are concerned that patients will be sent home before they recover to create space for others to come from the emergency room.
The increase in ’emergency readmissions’ is also attributed to the escalating social care crisis, which has led to the discharge of vulnerable patients without access to the help they need at home.
More than 71,000 patients were returned to the hospital just a day after they were sent home, according to figures
The numbers the Mail saw were obtained by Healthwatch, a watchdog chaired by Sir Robert Francis, who led the investigation into the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal.
Sir Robert described the trend as “worrying” and warned of “significant distress” for patients and families, while charities said the pressure to clean up beds had made hospitals “conveyor belts”, sometimes with tragic consequences.
The figures refer to a snapshot of 70 hospitals in England. Assuming they are representative of the 150 English trusts, this means that more than 150,000 patients could have been hospitalized just one day after leaving last year.
Sir Robert said, “Our research raised some big questions that are affecting the entire country, and it is clear that health and care leaders need to take a closer look at why people are returning so quickly.
“The fact that emergency readmissions are growing without a proper understanding of the causes is disturbing. While not all emergency readmissions can or should be prevented, they can cause great suffering to patients and families. ‘
Jeremy Hughes, general director of the Alzheimer’s Society, said, “Systemic pressures in health and care systems, including the desire to make beds faster, can turn hospitals into conveyor belts and threaten patient well-being.
“Hasty layoffs without community support are not the answer, and they cost the NHS millions, not to mention human costs.”
And Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said, “The last thing an older person needs after a period in the hospital has been fired and readmitted immediately.
“If they are very vulnerable, this back and forth yo-yo can further undermine their resilience, with very serious implications for their prospects for recovery.”
She added, “Of course, most older people want to get out of the hospital as soon as possible, but it’s crucial that they don’t get fired until they’re really fit and good enough, with a good care and support package for them when they leave. ‘
An empty NHS hospital bed in a ward in the UK (file photo). The number of readmissions increased by a third in four years, according to figures, with experts blaming a serious hospital bed shortage
Healthwatch findings show that 71,398 patients were re-hospitalized as an emergency the day after their 2017/18 discharge.
This is an increase of 11 percent from the 64,268 cases in 2016/17 and a 29 percent increase from the 53,538 cases in 2013/14.
The figures also show that 484,609 patients were rushed to hospital one month after discharge.
This is an increase of a fifth in four years and, if representative of all hospitals, means that more than a million patients were readmitted within a month last year.
Common reasons why patients are readmitted as an emergency include pneumonia, flare-ups of heart disease, pressure sores, skin or urinary tract infections, or falling at home.
But there are concerns that these diseases will need to be picked up by doctors before being fired.
Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust think tank, said, “This increase will partly reflect an older population and the growing number of patients with multiple diseases who have been engaging in a variety of activities in the NHS. In our own work, we saw a significant increase in avoidable readmissions.
‘More capacity among healthcare providers can play a role. The availability of hospital beds has come under increasing pressure in recent years, while healthcare financing has been cut sharply. ‘
She added, “Whatever the cause, readmissions aren’t good for patients, so it’s important for local health care providers to see why they are happening and whether improvements in care are possible.”
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