IPSWICH hospital is one of the best in the region at making sure patients return home quickly after operations, it emerged today.Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that lengths of stay, for 14 of the 20 most common procedures, are shorter than the national average at Ipswich.

IPSWICH hospital is one of the best in the region at making sure patients return home quickly after operations, it emerged today.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that lengths of stay, for 14 of the 20 most common procedures, are shorter than the national average at Ipswich.

As the government pushes the NHS to provide more care in the community and limit the length of time people spend in hospital, the figures show Ipswich is making good progress towards that goal.

Jan Rowsell, hospital spokeswoman, said: "We are committed to ensuring people who no longer need to be in hospital are not kept here unnecessarily.

"All the evidence shows that the less time people stay in hospital, the better the outcome for them in the long-term."

The six procedures where stays are longer than average are tonsillectomies, pacemaker fittings, removal of bladder tumours, catheterisation, continuous infusion of drugs (eg. chemotherapy) and blood transfusions.

Ms Rowsell said much of this could be put down to Suffolk's growing elderly population.

She said: "In this area our elderly population is growing rapidly and these procedures tend to be a bit more complex when dealing with older people.

"Ipswich does deal with a larger proportion of elderly patients than other comparable hospitals."

The figures show the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital fares best, dealing with all 20 problems more quickly than the national average.

Addenbrooke's in Cambridge is the worst, with length of stays for 12 of the 20 procedures being longer than average.

Fears have been raised that the focus on getting people out of hospital as quickly as possible could mean people are being left without sufficient care in their home.

GPs have warned that if the proposed closure of community hospital beds at Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Sudbury, Hartismere and Newmarket go ahead patients could suffer because there will be inadequate support in the community.

Ms Rowsell said: "Nobody would be discharged from hospital until there was sufficient care in place for them at home. We would not discharge someone from hospital if there wasn't support in place."

Have you benefited from a shorter hospital stay? Did you have care in place at home? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Average length of stay in days

Ipswich average Nat average

Diagnostic spinal puncture 7.2 7.5

Removal of lump from breast 2.3 3.6

Tonsillectomy 1.3 1.1

Endoscopy and biopsy 8.5 11.1

Removal of appendix 3.2 3.8

Removal of gall bladder 3.2 3.7

Implantation of pacemaker 8.7 5.9

Removal of bladder tumour 4.9 4.8

Catheterisation on bladder 12.8 12

Hysterectomy 6 6.1

Planned caesarean 3.8 4.6

Emergency caesarean 5.1 5.3

Normal birth 1.7 2.1

Repair of hernia in groin 2 2.1

Manipulation of bone fracture 1.4 2.4

Hip replacement 9.1 9.8

Knee replacement 8.9 9.3

Infusion of therapeutic substance 8.4 5.8

Blood transfusion 16 9.6