A patient who was deemed medically fit to leave a public hospital in Galway has spent over 1,150 days in a bed on a ward due to the complex problem of ‘delayed discharges’.

The patient of Galway University Hospitals (UHG and Merlin Park) has spent over three years on a medical ward because of delayed transfer of care – despite being healthy enough to go home.

This patient was one of 26 adults who were in GUH on September 12, who were medically fit for discharge but for “varied reasons cannot be cared for at home and remain in hospitals because of the lack of the much-needed alternative placements to meet their needs”, according to Ann Cosgrove, Chief Operating Officer of Saolta University Healthcare Group.

The discharge of a further seven patients has been delayed at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe and their lengths of stays on general medical wards ranged from five days to 742 days. In response to a query at the Regional Health Forum from City Councillor John Connolly (FF), Ms Cosgrove said there were 26 patients still in UHG or Merlin Park despite being medically okay to leave.

Of these, one was in hospital for 1,151 days. The length of stay of other patients included 537 days, 431 days, 150 days, 145 days, 158 days, 108 days, 144 days, 121 days, and 126 days.

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