ALMOST 20 people have been kept in hospitals in Limerick and the Mid West after they were well enough to home – because they don’t have a home to be discharged to.
Official figures show that in the last two years and two months, 19Â patients who should have been discharged from hospital to free up much-needed beds could not be, because they had nowhere to go.
Figures for March and April are not yet available.
Of those patients, 16 were being treated in University Hospital Limerick, one in St John’s, and two in Ennis. Nationally, the figure for people was 363 for the same period.
While the numbers seem relatively small, they do not reveal how long over their discharge on health grounds date.
The issue was raised in the Dáil by Labour housing spokesperson and Limerick City TD Conor Sheehan, who says the reality is that many more people are being discharged into homelessness than are accounted for in these figures.
Deputy Sheehan said the figures “highlight the lack of a well-coordinated national discharge plan which would significantly reduce both hospital admissions and healthcare costs and
highlight the impact of the Government’s housing crisis on the most
vulnerable in society.”
“The true number of people being discharged into homelessness are much higher because many give the address of a hostel, their previous address, or that of a relative, while many will also self-discharge.
“People experiencing homelessness have huge barriers to access primary healthcare, whether it be a lack of transport, extremely limited financial means and long waiting lists or appointments.”
Deputy Sheehan said that “as a result, they are disproportionately more likely to present at acute hospitals. They often have difficulty or are not registered with a GP due to the paperwork involved. They often only seek emergency care when their symptoms become severe.”
The Labour spokesperson said there is also a lack of data and research on hospital discharge planning and homelessness.
“The independent evaluation of the Dublin Hospital Homeless Discharge Protocol and Inclusion Health Services has highlighted the success of the programme on the quality of care for patients experiencing homelessness but we need to ensure that is replicated nationwide,” the Limerick TD added.
“We must develop a comprehensive integrated care and case management service for homeless individuals and ensure is rolled out nationwide in addition to increasing housing first targets.”