Dramatic fall in delayed discharges UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 17 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Thousands of NHS beds freed up for patients needing treatment.

HEALTH Secretary John Reid today said a massive reduction in delayed discharges was the equivalent of adding eight extra hospitals to the NHS.

New figures show that the number of people forced to wait to leave hospital is more than 4,000 lower than before the start of the 'Cash for Change' programme began in late 2001.

Mr Reid said: "Those 4,000 extra free beds are the equivalent of adding eight typical district general hospitals to the NHS - helping us speed up treatment for those who need it."

"And there's another bonus - this progress means 4,000 people who are well enough to leave hospital are in safe surroundings, whether in their own homes with the extra support they need, in extra care units or in a care home."

Since January 2004, new rules mean local authorities must reimburse the NHS for delays in hospital discharge which result from the council's failure to provide the necessary assessments or services for a patient. The charging system was introduced in 'shadow' form from last October. Today's figures show reductions in delayed discharges - which had slowed during 2003 - increased again as the reimbursement system was introduced.

Mr Reid added:

"These figures suggest the introduction of the reimbursement scheme seems to have provided the extra incentive we needed to maintain momentum."

"The progress that's been made over the past three years is a tribute to the hard work of local councils' social services staff and the NHS, finding new ways of working together to ensure extra investment delivers real improvements for people needing our help."

"This success has been driven forward by our Change Agent Teams - mixed groups of NHS and social care professionals working together with front-line staff to ensure good ideas are taken up everywhere."

The Cash for Change programme began in October 2001. During the previous month, September 2001, the average number of delayed discharges was 7,065. Provisional data at the end of March 2004 suggests there were around 2,900 people delayed - a drop of around 59%.

The Cash for Change scheme provided £300 million to local councils over two years to ensure they had the capacity to care for people being discharged from hospital who need extra support. Councils are also receiving an additional £100 million a year under the Delayed Discharges Grant to ensure they continue to make progress.

Notes to editor
1. Quarterly figs - total delayed discharges Sept. 2001 - March 2004*
September 2001 7,065
December 2001 6,419
March 2002 5,473
June 2002 5,489
September 2002 5,385
December 2002 4,586
March 2003 4,154
June 2003 4,170
September 2003 4,267
December 2003 3,220
March 2004 2,895*
*Provisional data

2. A typical District General Hospital has around 500 beds.

3. The reimbursement payments from social services to the NHS are set at £100 a day for most of England and £120 a day for London and the South East, to reflect the varying costs of care. The payment rates are deliberately set at a higher rate than the cost of providing services to support discharge, in order to provide an incentive to councils to improve their assessment and service provision.

4. For public inquiries call 0207 210 4850.

Contact Press Officer
Phone Michael Clarke
0207 210 5658