Issue - meetings

By Councillor Howie - Unlawful Discharges to Care Homes

Meeting: 24/06/2021 - City of Edinburgh Council (Item 8)

By Councillor Howie - Unlawful Discharges to Care Homes

By Councillor Howie – Unlawful Discharges to Care Homes

Council:

1)         Acknowledges the recent report from the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) for Scotland on Authority to Discharge, detailing their findings on investigating a sample of around 10% of cases across Scotland where a patient was discharged from a hospital to a care home between March and May 2020.

2)         Notes the Council Leaders response to Cllr Howie’s question on unlawful discharges in December 2020.

3)         Notes with concern that the report specifies that there was one case identified in Edinburgh where a person was unlawfully discharged from a hospital to a care home between March and May 2020.

4)         Understands that the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership are working with the Mental Welfare Commission to investigate this case and to produce an action plan based on the 11 recommendations of the MWC report.

5)         Notes however that this was from a sample of around 10% of all such moves reported at the time by Public Health Scotland, indicating there is are likely to be more cases like it.

6)         Requests a summary report in one cycle to the Policy and Sustainability Committee that includes:

a)         The number, under each category included in the MWCS report, of a summary of the authorities to discharge for all patients since the start of the pandemic;

b)         Confirmation that all relevant EHSCP staff have received training in respect of current policies and procedures, including specific detail surrounding the legality of Power of Attorney and its role in decision making;

c)         A timeframe for completion of all investigations into every patient’s discharge with a full report in four cycles to be returned to Policy and Sustainability; and

d)         A timeframe for implementation of the MWCS recommendations.

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