URGENT improvements are needed to speed up patients’ discharge from hospital into suitable community care, Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay said on Monday, following shocking revelations of patients languishing in hospital beds for as long as three and a half years after being declared ready for discharge.

The figures came to light after Darren Millar, the Welsh Conservative AM for Clwyd West, wrote to the Welsh Government’s Health Minister Vaughan Gething AM asking for details of the longest number of bed days lost by individual patients experiencing delayed transfers of care.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Ramsay said, “A number of my own constituents have contacted me in recent months about problems with delayed care transfer issues. It is totally unacceptable and inhumane that people are having to wait so long to be discharged from hospital when they are ready to leave.

“Delayed transfer care issues are causing major bed blocking in our local hospitals, and are not only extremely costly to the NHS but detrimental to patients’ welfare.

“There is clearly a need for a more integrated approach between the Welsh NHS and other care providers.

“These scandalous delays cannot be allowed to continue.”