Delayed discharges in mental health beds

he Department of Health (DoH) has identified a high number of hospital delayed discharges in patients diagnosed with a mental illness. Since 2006, the weekly monitoring of these delays is required for all non-acute and mental health trusts. This article explores the limitations of standardized definitions of 'safe to transfer' for mentally ill patients; the conundrum created by co-morbidity and legal requirements; and the constraints of current categories for delay established by this performance system are exposed. Establishing when and why hospital discharges are delayed is not an easy task. It is embedded with subjectivity and complexity, which increases in the context of the intricacy of mental illness and discharge-pathways. Considering the constructed nature of delayed discharges, the limitations and over reliance on quantitative data collection must be taken into consideration in the case of quantitative itemization of mental health needs for Payment by Results tariffs, or when using audit data to construct evidence-based systems of care for people diagnosed with mental illnesses.