DISCHARGE lounges are being brought into the James Paget University Hospital to free up beds as patients are waiting to leave. The airport-style waiting areas will be brought in for people to spend a few hours while waiting for medicines or transport home.

DISCHARGE lounges are being brought into the James Paget University Hospital to free up beds as patients are waiting to leave.

The airport-style waiting areas will be brought in for people to spend a few hours while waiting for medicines or transport home.

Last Thursday , Norfolk's health scrutiny meeting heard that progress had been made on reducing bed-blocking at the three hospitals, but there was a lot of work to be done.

The meeting heard that in some cases patients were ready to go home first thing in the morning, but waited all day for their discharge notes to be signed by a doctor, and only then could medicines or transport be arranged.

Esther Harris, a patient representative, said staff worked hard and that it was “humbling” to see how patients were put first. But she said there were some “relatively simple things” which could cut bed-blocking.

The JPH is planning to introduce lounges in March. Chief executive Adrian Pennington said “the hospital had last week hit its target for just 12 people blocking beds is a record”. “This time last year there were 20-30,” he said.