To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the extent of bed blocking in the National Health Service, its impact on the ability of hospitals to make essential admissions and the appropriate initiatives necessary to enable the discharge of patients from hospital.
Answered on
2 December 2014
The numbers of delayed transfers from hospital is closely monitored. The impact of delays on wider hospital performance is assessed by System Resilience Groups in each local area and used in the development of their plans. The initiatives necessary to enable timely discharge and reduce admissions are included in the Operational Resilience and Capacity Planning Guidance and in the conditions for the Better Care Fund. For example both require the National Health Service and local government to implement seven day working to facilitate timely discharge.
The Government has provided £700 million this year to help the NHS cope with winter pressures, which will provide more bed space and pay for additional clinical staff, as well as measures to prevent delayed discharges of patients. This means the NHS can better plan for seasonal peaks and troughs in demand whilst recognising the need to balance its books and put in place sustainable services that deliver for patients year round. The Government has created the Better Care Fund, now worth £5.3 billion, to promote integration across health and care. Better Care Fund plans will also contribute to reduced admissions and delayed discharge.