Bed numbers and acute in-patient care

Abstract

Reply by the current author to the comments made by Mat Kinton (see record 2007-03087-011) on the original article (see record 2006-21239-003). I am pleased that Mat Kinton has given some views on bed numbers as a limitation to acute in-patient care as it provides an opportunity to extend the debate further. To my mind arguing that 'improvement may be reliant upon a much more fundamental question of resources: beds for the patients' is an unjustified oversimplification. Of course it is highly unsatisfactory when over-occupancy does occur but as Mat himself acknowledges this is not a universal experience. Merely highlighting bed shortages oversimplifies and detracts from more relevant but possibly more complex and challenging aspects of the very necessary agenda to improve acute in-patient care.