The lack of beds, with the right design and staffing, is a major problem in the country's hospitals. At the same time, discharge-ready patients occupied hundreds of the coveted beds daily last year.
These are patients who no longer need hospital care but cannot be discharged. Often due to the fact that continued efforts in the patient's home municipality are not in place.
Highest share in Halland and Skåne
On average, there were over 500 places – every day. The equivalent of almost four per cent of the country's beds is in the country.
However, over half of the country's regions had a higher share. Halland and Skåne had the highest, where discharge-ready daily occupied an average of more than seven percent of the care places.
– It is clear that such a proportion is a problem when there are also overcrowding problems, says Region Skåne's chief physician Rasmus Havmöller.
Upturn after a few years of decline
At the same time, the fact that discharge-ready people remain in hospital is not a new problem. In 2018, a legislative amendment was introduced with the aim of getting municipalities and regions to cooperate better in this area. After the change in the law, the proportion of places occupied by discharge-ready also fell, to increase slightly again in 2021 and 2022.
If you look at individual regions, several had a proportion that last year was higher than it was before the change in the law.
"Competing for the same employees"
Göran Stiernstedt was responsible for the investigation that was behind the change in the law in 2018.
"This is a sign that the issue is not being addressed. A realistic figure is to be around one percent, he says.
At the same time, several managers in regions that SVT has been in contact with say that this is a priority issue. Rasmus Havmöller in region Skåne also wants to remind about the shortage of healthcare staff.
"We're competing for the same employees. The shortage in the municipalities also affects their ability to bring patients home, he says.