Scale of hospital bed blocking in South Cumbria leads to calls for social care review to be fast-tracked

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has written to the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, after it emerged how many beds at local hospitals are being occupied by medically fit patients.

A written Parliamentary Question tabled by Tim to the Department for Health and Social Care has revealed that more than one in five beds in hospitals in Lancaster, Barrow, and Kendal in September were occupied by patients who are no longer meeting the criteria to reside.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety, Dr Zubir Ahmed said that on average 145 medically fit patients were occupying 20.9% of adult acute bed each day - 6.1% higher than the average for England, of 14.8%.

One of the reasons medically fit patients often aren’t discharged from hospital is because there is no appropriate social care or support available to help them at home or in a residential care setting.

The Government have commissioned an independent report into adult social care, but this is not set to be completed until 2028.

Writing to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Tim said: “This is a tragedy both for patients stuck waiting in hospital corridors because there aren’t beds available for them, and also for people stuck in a hospital bed who want to be out and living their lives, but don’t have access to appropriate social care.

“It is blindingly obvious that we cannot fix the problems in our NHS without fixing social care.

“Governments of all stripes have promised to tackle this, but all have failed.

“And I remain deeply concerned that your independent commission into social care won’t report back until 2028.

“This is an issue which cannot be put on the back burner and must be given the greatest level of urgency.

“Please will you commit the Government to bringing forward this review into social care, so we see action as soon as is humanly possible to free up hospital beds, and give patients access to the social care that they deserve.”