Episode details

Radio WM,5 mins
'He's been there for 4 weeks, it's just a waiting game' Bed Blocking - Social care in the West Midlands
Rakeem OmarAvailable for over a year
Bed Blocking...It's when patients don't need to be in hospital any more but can't be discharged because they haven't got the right care package in place to leave. Less than half of patients in the Midlands who were ready to leave hospital last week actually got to go home. And that has a knock on effect.. because it means there's less beds for patients coming in to the hospital causing long waits in A&E and on ambulances. Samantha Bourne's father was admitted to Russell's Hall Hospital in Dudley just before Christmas. He was ready to leave after a week, but he's still there, because there isn't a care package in place for him. Samantha's been speaking to our Political Reporter Tracey Higgins
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