Elaine Patten, a registered nurse of 52 years, has spoken out against Lisa Nobes, the director of nursing at Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board.
Ms Nobes has asked people who have relatives and friends in hospital to give them a helping hand to get patients home in the hope of freeing up bed space.
She said: “Our local health care staff are doing an amazing job during this challenging time, as they always do.
“However, we need to ensure that people who are waiting in our emergency areas can be admitted by discharging medically fit patients who only remain in hospital because the appropriate home support they require at home is not yet in place.
Lisa Nobes, director of nursing for the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (Image: Supplied)
“I would ask anyone who is able to support a loved one who is well enough to go home to come forward and assist us.”
In response, Mrs Patten said: “Having given 52 years of my life to nursing, I have never felt so insulted by a public statement from within my own profession.
“Safe and timely discharge has always been a fundamental responsibility of ward nurses. It is something we take extremely seriously and work tirelessly to achieve, often in very difficult circumstances.
“To imply that patients remain in hospital simply because families have not ‘come forward’ fundamentally misrepresents the reality on wards and unfairly shifts responsibility away from chronic system failures.
Elaine Patten (Image: Elaine Patten)
“Delayed discharges are overwhelmingly caused by lack of social care capacity, inadequate community services, insufficient funding, and poor integration between health and social care — not by a lack of willingness on the part of families, nor a failure of ward staff to plan appropriately.
“This narrative risks undermining public trust in nurses, placing guilt and pressure on families who may be unable to provide care, and ignoring the very real safeguarding, clinical, and legal considerations involved in discharging vulnerable patients safely.”
“After more than half a century in nursing, I find it profoundly disappointing that frontline staff and families are being asked to absorb the consequences of long-standing political and structural failures.
“Nurses deserve support, honesty, and respect — not implication and blame.”
It comes amid winter pressures on hospitals across the country, with East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals, to declare a critical incident.
Adrian Marr, the interim chief executive at ESNEFT, said: “Like many hospitals across the country, we are seeing increased demand for our services. There is significant pressure on our hospitals, and we have declared a critical incident at the Trust.
Adrian Marr, interim chief executive at ESNEFT (Image: ESNEFT)
“Our dedicated staff are working very hard to continue to offer safe, compassionate care for our patients and our volunteers are also supporting teams.
“We’re really grateful for everyone bearing with us during this busy period. #
“Patients’ families are playing an important role by supporting their loved one return home when they’re well enough, which in turn helps free up beds for the next patient who needs our care.
“Please use our services wisely at this time. If appropriate, please speak to your pharmacist use NHS 111 for advice.
“A critical incident means we receive additional support from our the whole healthcare and social care system.”