ABSTRACT
Patients who require no further medical treatment, and are declared fit to leave hospital by the medical staff sometimes remain in hospital for what are broadly termed as “social reasons”: unsuitable housing, lack of domiciliary services, shortage of places in residential homes etc. The aims of this six month pilot study were to establish:
the extent of the problem in terms of nonmedical use of beds
the reasons for the delayed discharge from hospital
the kinds of environmental changes and/or service input that might have permitted discharge had they been possible/available
