NHS Best Kept Secret Revealed

Ever wondered why hospital food is so lousy?  Or why, despite constantly ringing the bell for attention nobody ever comes? It could possibly be a tactic by NHS managers to ensure that patients do not over stay their welcome.

Fairfield Hospital in Lancashire (UK) revealed today that it took over 9 years to discharge a patient.
Health Chiefs in the Pennine area hospital classed the case as ” exceptional “, citing the reason behind the long stay being the family refusing to let the patient ( unnamed for reasons of privacy) be discharged.

Though not readily advertised,  patients can only be discharged with ‘consent’ – either of the patient him/herself – or by family in cases where the patient cannot give informed consent.

A Spokesman for the Hospital explained more of the situation:

“The reasons around this case were complex but centred around the patient’s family, who did not wish their relative to be discharged. They ( the family) considered the care in Fairfield General Hospital to be excellent and went to great lengths to ensure his discharge could not take place. The trust is committed to reducing the number of patients who are delayed in hospital, even though they are medically fit to be discharged.”

Maybe there was good reason for delaying discharge by nearly a decade, as a few days after transferring to a nursing home, the patient died.

Full(ish) Story HERE