Better Together: Bed Occupancy rates only show part of a more complex picture

You may have seen comment in the media about bed occupancy rates. This article helps to answer your questions.

Bed occupancy figures provide an important snapshot of activity, but they do not on their own tell us whether people are receiving care in the most appropriate setting or whether different forms of care could achieve better outcomes.

Do high bed occupancy rates mean that more beds are needed?

The short answer is “no” as bed occupancy rates are only one part of a more complex picture.

The evidence tells us that too many people are spending too long in a community hospital bed because the support required to help them return home is not always available. In many of our hospitals half of the patients are waiting for support to enable them to return home, and a community hospital bed is not the best place for their care. Other patients in community hospital beds would not need hospital admission if specialist community healthcare services were available in the home.

The evidence is also clear that one of the biggest improvements we can make for patients is to break the harmful cycle of deconditioning: long stays in hospital contribute to functional decline, loss of independence and incontinence, and they increase the likelihood of readmission.

For many people, particularly older adults, home is the best place to recover, maintain independence and avoid the harms associated with prolonged hospital stays.

Are patients waiting outside Powys for a community hospital bed?

We recognise how frustrating it can be when someone is waiting to return from District General Hospital to a Powys community hospital bed. While these cases represent a relatively small proportion of the total delays being experienced across the system, every delay matters to the individual concerned. For example, on Wednesday there were four patients in District General Hospitals ready and waiting for a Powys community hospital bed; whilst the majority of delays did not relate to community hospital beds and were experienced by people waiting for a package of health and care to enable them to return home. Those delays could significantly reduce if we provided more health care in the home.

The experience and outcomes for patients could be much better if we were able to prevent the need for hospital admission in the first place.

Why is Better Together important?

We want to create a future with prevention at its heart, helping people to live healthier and happier lives.

We want a system where we have stronger community services, so that more people are cared for at home.

We want to judge our success by how many people we help to stay well enough to avoid needing a hospital bed.

We want inpatient services in Powys to offer better health care, so that fewer people need to go to a District General Hospital.

This is particularly important in a large rural county like Powys, given the growing needs of our ageing population. At the same time, the proportion of people of working age is reducing. These realities mean we must take steps now to organise health care in ways that continue to meet the needs of our communities for years to come.

We know these discussions matter deeply to local people because community hospitals are valued parts of their communities. That is why we are committed to an open and transparent conversation about the future of safe, high-quality health care, supported by evidence and shaped by the views of the people who provide and use these services

Later this year we expect to launch a formal public consultation on options for the future. Any options considered for consultation will have been informed by thousands of voices across the county over the last two years. We will ensure that information is shared widely across the county and encourage everyone with an interest in the future of health care in Powys to look at the evidence, consider the options, and share their views, so that the health board can take full account of them before any decisions are made.

You can find out more from our Better Together pages and sign up for regular updates to receive the latest news direct to your inbox.