New Zealand Hospital Initiative Frees Up 1,500 Bed Nights

A specialist team at Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Hospital has implemented a new approach to patient discharge, resulting in 1,515 bed nights freed up over the past year. The team, including Clinical Nurse Specialists and the geriatrics team, identifies patients likely to need extra support and starts planning their discharge on the day they arrive. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments are completed on the day a patient arrives or the day after, covering their health, independence, and home management needs. This proactive approach has reduced the number of patients left waiting in hospital after being medically cleared to go home by 57%, from 21 patients a day to nine. The initiative has improved relationships with local aged residential care facilities, making transfers out of hospital smoother.