Nuffield Trust, September 2015
- Drawing evidence from the literature together with insights from a number of senior clinicians, managers and case studies, this report explores what approaches to reducing length of stay have been (and could be) effective, providing a set of measures for improving length of stay that are within the control of the hospital itself.
- Key points:
- Focus on flow
- Get the basics right
- ‘Bundle’ approaches together
- Maintain a rapid pace for decision-making and patient progress
- Ensure active support for discharge seven days a week
- Large-scale top-down change is often not required
Extract:
- "There has been extensive use of audit tools such as the Medical Care Assessment Protocol (MCAP) by the Oak Group and Greater Manchester Commissioning Support Unit looking at the potential for patients to be cared for in alternative settings. Monitor and the Nuffield Trust have been given access to these data, which typically show that 20 to 25 per cent of admissions and 50 per cent of bed days do not ‘qualify’ for the use of an acute bed and could be treated at a different, usually lower, level of care to meet medical needs."(Oak Group, 2014). (p4)
