Objectives: To examine the current in-patient respite service in terms of the type of patient served, whether their care could be provided satisfactorily outwith hospital and whether hospital resources could be used more efficiently.
Design: Multi-disciplinary assessment of subjects and completion of recording form.
Setting: Inverclyde and Renfrew, Scotland (population 288,000).
Subjects: All elective respite admissions to Merchiston Hospital during the period 1.1.93 to 31.12.93.
Results: Twenty-six patients received respite care in the period studied. Seventy-three per cent had severe/profound handicap, and all had at least one additional problem to their learning disability. We found the majority (73%) would require extra nursing care in hospital. Current social work respite placements do not cater for this level of disability. Respite bed occupancy rates are lower during the week than at the weekend.
Conclusions: Most patients receiving respite care in our hospital are a highly dependent group whose needs cannot be met by local social work services. There is a need for more accurate planning of respite provision to maximise the efficient use of beds.