Avoidable elderly emergency admissions rising
- 22 Nov
Action is needed to stop the rise in avoidable emergency admissions from elderly patients.
The Care Quality Commissions has revealed that 530,000 over 65's were admitted in England as an emergency for a preventable cause over the last year. This is a rise of more than 40% since 2007/8.
Dehydration and infections which could've been prevented are classed as avoidable admissions, reports the BBC.
One in ten of all over 75's and a fifth of over 90's admitted were for one of the above reasons. David Behan, CQC chief executive said the problem needed addressing "quickly".
"GPs, care homes, home care agencies, community health services and hospitals must plan effectively to make sure our older and more vulnerable people are cared for in the way they deserve."
These emergency admissions are one of the main reasons why A&E units have begun to struggle in recent years. Patents who need to be admitted take longer to attend to compared with people who can be seen and treated in A&E/
The National Audit Office estimate that emergency admissions were costing the NHS over £12bn a year.
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