Patient Experience
The Bed Management Service coordinates the hospital’s total bed management and discharge function in accordance with hospital policy. This includes ensuring appropriate and fair access to beds for all acute and non-acute patients, that is scheduled and unscheduled care.
Scheduled Care
Scheduled care refers to patients who are booked electively to attend for a surgical procedure or a planned admission.
Unscheduled Care
Unscheduled care refers to patients who need to be admitted to the hospital in an unplanned manner, for example, attendances via the Emergency Department, admission from the Outpatient Clinic or inter-hospital transfers.
Discharges coordinators
Patient flow manager
The Discharge Lounge –– currently closed due the COVID-19 pandemic
The Discharge Lounge provides a safe clinical alternative to the ward area where patients can wait for their discharge documentation and transport home.
This coordinated system allows the Bed Management team to effectively monitor admissions, discharges and patient movement within the hospital in order to prioritise acute inpatient beds, ensuring the right patient, gets to the right bed at the right time.
Patients due for scheduled care will be placed on a waiting list by the relevant team. Once there is a provisional date for admission available, the patient will be contacted by the Bed Management Service.
Patients requiring an unscheduled admission will be processed via the medical team who liaise with the Bed Management Service to secure a bed for the patient in a timely manner.
The Bed Management Service comprises of an assistant director of nursing, a scheduled care lead for inpatient and day-case patients, administration staff, discharge coordinators, a patient flow manager and a healthcare assistant.
Queries regarding patients who are on the waiting list for an inpatient or day case procedure can phone the scheduled care lead on; (01) 410 3928.