Meaning & use
bed block
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableBritishmedical
A situation in a hospital where a patient who no longer needs acute care stays in a bed because suitable care elsewhere is not available, preventing others from being admitted.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used in the phrase 'bed blocking'.
Patterns
- bed block in hospitals
- reduce bed block
The hospital is struggling with bed block because many patients are waiting for nursing home places.
Bed block has become a major issue in the NHS during winter.
Efforts to reduce bed block include increasing community care services.
nouncountableBritishmedical
A patient who occupies a hospital bed but no longer requires acute medical care, often delaying admission for others.
Grammar: Countable; can refer to the patient or the situation.
Patterns
- a bed block patient
- bed blockers
The ward has several bed blocks who could be discharged if social care were available.
Doctors are frustrated by bed blocks taking up needed beds.
Word forms
| plural | bed blocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- bed block crisis
- The bed block crisis forced the hospital to cancel operations.
- reduce bed block
- New policies aim to reduce bed block by 20 percent.
- bed block problem
- The bed block problem is worse in winter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bed blocking
- The more common British term for the same problem; 'bed block' is less frequent but used in similar contexts.
- delayed discharge
- A broader term for when a patient cannot leave hospital on time; 'bed block' emphasizes the effect on bed availability.
Word family
- bed-blocker noun
- A patient who is blocking a bed; often used critically in the media.
- bed-blocking noun
- The practice or problem of blocking hospital beds.
Commonly confused: bed block or block booking?
bed block vs block booking
A reservation of multiple seats or rooms at once; completely unrelated to hospitals.
Practice
The hospital is facing a shortage of beds due to _____.
Choose one answer.
'Bed blocking' is the usual uncountable noun for the problem. 'Bed block' is less common and often countable when referring to a patient; 'bed blocks' would be plural count but the sentence needs an uncountable; 'block bed' is not a standard term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bed block”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.