Abstract
In 1993, legislation (The Community Care Act) was passed requiring that patients be assessed by social workers before discharge from hospital back to the community. The effect of the Care in the Community Act on the discharges from Weston General Hospital of patients, with fractures of the femoral neck, was studied comparing prospective data from 1990 three years before implementation of the Act, and data from February 1996–1997. Length of hospital stay and distribution of placement after admission from home were compared. There was a 13% rise in bed occupancy caused by a significant increase in time to discharge for patients newly placed in nursing homes as well as a rise in average inpatient stay for patients discharged home.
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