Readmissions to hospital rise sharply

More older people are being readmitted to
hospital shortly after being discharged than they were two years
ago.

Research from Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat
spokesperson for older people, shows that there has been an 18 per
cent increase over the past two years in the number of older people
being readmitted to hospital less than 28 days after being
discharged.

Taken from parliamentary answers, the figures
show that the number of over-75s readmitted to hospital within 28
days spiralled from 26,523 between October and December 1999 to
31,427 in the same period in 2001.

The worst hit areas of the country are the
North West, which saw an increase of 79 per cent in two years, and
Northern and Yorkshire where the numbers rose from 3,737 to
5,202.

“The NHS and social services are under
increasing pressure to get people out of hospital quicker and
quicker.

“The consequences are poor discharge planning
and a rapid rise in the number of people returning to hospital as
emergencies within days of leaving hospital,” said Burstow.