Cares fear a new policy to get patients out of hospitals faster will “guilt trip” families into taking relatives home before proper support is in place and could lead to re-admissions.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has launched a new winter campaign backed by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf to ease pressure on acute services that will see more people leave wards before noon.

The health board says earlier discharges has benefits for patients at all stages in the hospital journey.

It frees up beds for patients waiting in A&E and Acute Medical Units (AMUs) and ambulances for patients in the community as well as speeding up transfers outside hospitals.

Getting patients home earlier also avoids the “well-known risks associated with prolonged hospital stays”, the board says, particularly in older patients.

However, there is concern from carers and groups that represent them that the “home for lunch” policy will put additional pressure on relatives without adequate planning and could lead to patients leaving hospital prematurely.

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Humza Yousaf said NHS GGC’s policy was not about discharging patients before they are ready to go home but making sure any barriers are removed for those who are fit to leave and the health board stressed it was intended for those who would be leaving that day anyway.

Families are “specifically encouraged to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place”.

Patients would be transferred to the discharge lounge by 10am and measures are being put in place to ensure staff are prepared, including ensuring prescriptions are in place.

Lynn Williams, who cared for her husband Derek before his death earlier this year, said the policy was “well intentioned” but could put extra pressure on already over-burdened carers.

She said: “We all know that discharges happen too soon for many people.

“Every part of the rationale for this is a guilt trip for families.

“The reality? Patients being discharged before they are ready, without the right support in place - re-admissions and carer breakdown.

“I understand the pressures [health boards] are under but there are lots of reasons why those pressures are there.

“Again, families are expected to plug the gap and take on more responsibility as care packages are being withdrawn or reduced. 

“It is counterproductive, you will just have patients coming back in more quickly and carers on their knees.

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She added: “It also doesn’t take account of family who work and maybe can’t get time off and assumes that families know how and where to get supports in place and are trained to deal with new equipment.”

Others highlighted concerns about transport and hospital parking.

One carer tweeted: “At Queen Elizabeth University Hospital first challenge is getting car parked near discharge lounge; then getting patient* safely back to car (*frail, dementia - really a two person job).”

It comes after Public Health Scotland figures showed delayed discharge figures have reached a record high.

The average number of hospital beds occupied per day in hospital by patients who were fit to leave was 1,898 in October - the highest figure since the latest guidance came into place in July 2016 and former health secretary Shona Robison pledged to eradicate them.

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This year’s State of Caring in Scotland report found that nearly two thirds of carers were not involved in decisions about hospital discharge and only 15 per cent said they felt no pressure to provide care and felt prepared and properly supported. 

Less than one in five said that they received sufficient services to protect their health and well-being and that of the person they care for.

Fiona Collie of Carers Scotland said that it can be positive for patients who are ready to be discharged to leave earlier in the day but said it was vital that adequate planning and support was in place.

She said: “Discharge planning should start from admission with the involvement of unpaid carers and the appropriate social care services and equipment organised. 

“This should include identification of any support unpaid carers need. 

“Worryingly, carers tell us that too often this does not happen. 

“Without effective planning, too often unpaid carers find themselves forced to take on additional caring, or indeed a new caring role, without the right support, adding to the considerable pressures that too many already face.”

Charing Cross Hospital in London has consistently managed to complete 80% of their discharges before noon. 

Senior sister Diana Belshaw said in an interview in January that “there is a lot of admin involved” to make the policy work.

She said: “We spend a lot of time making phone calls, chasing up outstanding paperwork and reminding community partners that they have a patient coming in a few days and they need to be ready.

“But when we get it right, it makes the rest of our work easier.

“It’s so demoralising to see patients stuck on the ward when they should be at home or in a community rehabilitation facility. You know that they aren’t getting the care they need and you feel helpless to improve their situation.”

Doctors warned yesterday that patients are facing dangerous delays in Scotland’s emergency departments.

Dr John-Paul Loughrey, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said in The Times that patients were being packed into corridors to lie on uncomfortable trolleys for hours.

He described A&E staff as “feeling concerned” about the coming winter.

He spoke out as the latest figures showed more than 3000 patients were delayed in A&E departments for more than eight hours and 1,300 people were stuck for more than 12 hours during the week ending December 4.

Scott Davidson, Deputy Medical Director for Acute Services at NHS GGC, said: “We’re well aware of the challenges facing the health care system and Home for Lunch is an initiative I think we can all get behind. 

“If we can improve the efficiency of our discharges we know the positive impact this has on both the patients going home, but also the rate we can then look at treating the rest of our patients, so it’s in everyone’s interest to get Home for Lunch wherever possible.”