Forum Brief: Bed blocking

The government is set for a defeat in the House of Lords over its plans to impose fines on local authorities who fail to provide enough long term care beds for elderly NHS patients.

Forum Response: Counsel and Care

Martin Green, chief executive of Counsel and Care, told ePolitix.com: "There is a desperate need to address this issue of inappropriate hospital stays for older people. It is our view that the government legislation is not going to help this sufficiently. To that extent, we support the Lords amendments."

Forum Response: Age Concern

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "Proposals in this Bill to penalise local authorities for delayed discharge are impractical and hurriedly conceived.

"Fines may disrupt and undermine valuable joint-working between health and social care providers, which could lead to older people being rushed out of hospital and into inappropriate care with little or no choice.

"If the proposals in this Bill do go ahead, Age Concern wants clear assurances that its implementation would be delayed until 2004 so a pilot scheme can test its impact."

Forum Response: Help the Aged

Jenny Stiles, deputy head of policy at Help the Aged, said: "Help the Aged is convinced that the government's proposals to fine local authorities for instances of delayed discharge are deeply flawed."The government's proposal of fining local authorities is, at best, a one dimensional approach and at worst risks undermining the collaborative efforts between health and social services professionals which have led to a significant reduction in delayed discharges over the last year.

"Another deeply worrying aspect of the report is that, whereas the professionals felt they were involving the patients in discharge planning, the patients themselves frequently felt uninformed and uninvolved.

"Help the Aged is calling for the Bill currently passing through parliament to be amended to be far clearer about patient's rights in respect of discharge and the introduction of an appeals process for those who think that the plans for their discharge do not offer them a safe way forward."

Forum Response: Local Government Association

A spokeswoman for the Local Government Association said: "The LGA believes that the proposals set out in the Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Bill are fundamentally flawed and they are opposed by local government leaders from all parties. We believe that rather than legislate to fine councils for delays in discharging older people, the government should continue to build on the partnerships between health bodies and social services that have been developing, and delivering results, over the past two years.

"The 24 per cent drop in the level of delayed discharges over the past year demonstrates that there is no need for fining proposals there is a need for the government to continue to work with councils, NHS bodies and the voluntary sector to provide services for older people that focus on independent living, rehabilitation, preventing admissions as well as care after a hospital stay.

"Clearly a delay would give councils more time to prepare for the measures set out in the bill - but surely this is simply delaying the implementation of a flawed system, that focuses only on one part of a complex and interdependent system. The LGA does not wish to see the bill making it onto the statute book at all."