The number of delayed discharge patients whose hospital care has been completed but who are awaiting transfer elsewhere has increased by nearly one third in the past year, according to a new report.

The average monthly number of hospital patients awaiting transfer to alternative nursing home or other community facilities while taking up a hospital bed has increased from 533 in 2012 to 693 in 2013, according to a new report from Health Minister James Reilly's Special Delivery Unit (SDU).

Bed availability shortages caused by delayed discharge patients can lead to long trolley delays in emergency departments while patients await a bed, and can also have a knock-on effect on waiting list numbers.

The report points out that recent ED overcrowding difficulties at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital were partly caused by the number of patients at the hospital who had completed their acute episode of care, but whose discharge had been delayed, 'predominantly as a result of waiting for Fair Deal approval of a community bed'.

The report points out that as trolley overcrowding had improved recently at the Mater and St Vincent's Hospitals in Dublin, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Limerick Regional and the Mercy Hospital in Cork.

However, the report outlines poor recent performances this year on ED overcrowding at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin, as well as at Waterford Regional Hospitals and Beaumont.

At Tallaght Hospital, the report says it was not counting as trolley waiters patients who had been plavced on trolleys in wards to relieve ED overcrowding. In addition, Tallaght was employing 'less than optimal patient processing', according to the report.

Limited surgical bed capacity was cited as one of the reasons for continued ED overcrowding at Waterford Regional.

The SDU was set up in 2011 with the task of cutting treatment waiting lists, outpatient lists and ED trolley waits.

While it has made little progress on treatment and outpatient lists, it has made some inroads into trolley waits.

The report notes that since the SDU was set up in 2011, there has been a 30% reduction in the number of ED patients waiting on trolleys for hospital admission.

However, the report shows that nationally, 20% of ED patients are currently waiting over nine hours for discharge from or admission to hospital, and 35% are waiting over six hours.

115% rise in waiting lists