A senior’s complaint over what she considered to be a premature discharge from hospital reflected the “highly complex process” of balancing individual needs with accommodating incoming patients, the Bermuda Hospitals Board said.

The BHB comments came after a 65-year-old Southampton woman, who spent months in long-term treatment, clashed with physicians who deemed her ready for discharge last Wednesday.

She said they sent her home before she had appropriate arrangements in place.

The woman, who underwent four surgeries and spent nearly three months in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, told The Royal Gazette: “I was happy I was leaving until they got all up in my face about it.”

She said she felt “kicked out”, adding: “I know they need the space, but don’t be so disrespectful.”

The patient said she came under pressure to leave before she could secure transport home, and was also concerned about her personal mobility issues.

However, she said, her doctor signed papers for her discharge without her say.

Ultimately, the woman, who asked not to be named, said she loaded her possessions into a wheelchair and went out from KEMH’s main entrance.

She eventually secured transport to her residence from a relative.

The woman, now said to be receiving wound care treatment at home, added yesterday: “It is what it is. All they want to do is herd you in and herd you out.”

Discharging “long-stay” patients, especially seniors whose families are unable to accommodate them, has been a longstanding struggle for the BHB.

The health board highlighted in 2023 that a lack of community care options outside the hospital led to a rise in waiting times for new inpatient beds.

Waiting times can also result in delays for elective surgeries.

Admission numbers to KEMH can vary widely, with daily BHB figures for the first two weeks of last month showing a peak of 24 on July 5, and a low of five admissions two days later.

A spokeswoman told the Gazette: “Assessing someone’s readiness for discharge is a medical decision made by a BHB physician supported by the clinical team and in discussion with the patient and family.

“If someone no longer needs hospital-level care, then they are ready for discharge. However, we then make every effort to ensure it is a safe discharge, with support or arrangements being ready at home if needed.

“If someone is medically fit for discharge, but they need a safer environment to live in such as a nursing home, we also only discharge them when there is a place available.”

She said the hospital still contended with frequent delays in releasing patients from long-term care.

“We often have nearly 30 patients in our acute care wing who are medically ready for discharge, but who are delayed, sometimes for weeks and months, to ensure a safe discharge from the hospital.”

The spokeswoman said the extra patients added up to the equivalent of “nearly a whole acute care unit that we cannot admit patients to”, leading to planned surgeries getting postponed.

She added: “An average of 25 delayed discharges means 25 patients cannot be admitted and must be bed-boarded in the Emergency Department.”

The spokeswoman said: “Discharging individuals who may have ongoing support needs, but who do not need acute medical care, is a highly complex process.”

She noted that decisions had to balance medical urgency with caring for other patients.

The spokeswoman said: “We have every sympathy with individuals who may feel safer in a hospital environment, but unless there is a medical reason for them to be here, then they are using a bed that someone with a more acute illness needs.

“They are also exposing themselves to different types of risks inherent in hospitals, such as infections and physical deterioration.”

She added: “Our staff try their very best every day to manage the balance of safe discharges with the ongoing pressure of more unwell patients coming through the Emergency Department, and patient safety is always a key part of those decisions.”

• Patients can e-mail complaints to feedback@bhb.bm, with the option of receiving specific replies to their concerns, if unhappy with the decisions of their clinical team