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17
Jan 2020
Early-discharge patients may ‘come to harm’
Senior staff members at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust have admitted that some patients may come to harm if discharged early under plans to ease “significant pressures” on services at the trust.
In an internal memo, hospital bosses said they were being forced to take action to tackle the problem, adding that it was “vital” staff could “see and admit our acutely unwell patients through our emergency department and onto our wards”. They also discussed possible mitigations, including looking at risk levels clinicians took when discharging patients either to community services or home, and how an early discharge “may cause a level of concern”.
The trust recently turned away patients with minor injuries, while patients faced waits of up to 12 hours in the emergency department for beds.
It did, however, add that early discharges “would be a proportionate risk that we as a health community were prepared to take, on the understanding that there is a possibility that some of these patients will be readmitted or possibly come to harm.”
Allister Grant, medical director of the trust, added “There are services in the community which will help to keep them safe but not all of our clinicians have been using them. We’re encouraging them to do so.”
He added that the come-to-harm comment had been prompted because “a lot of patients are elderly and frail and we just can’t guarantee their safety when they get home.”
Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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