Department of Health

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Introduction to reimbursement

  • Last modified date:
    25 June 2007

Background about the reimbursement strategy.

Why reimbursement?

Around 2,800 (mainly older) people currently occupy acute hospital beds even though they are ready to be discharged. To promote independence, and ensure patients receive the right care in the most appropriate setting at the right time, the Government is committed to significantly reducing this number.

Reimbursement is a new part of the approach to a sustained reduction in the number of patients who are delayed, which will also free up NHS hospital beds for other patients.

Under the Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Act, there are new obligations for NHS and social care partners in England relating to hospital discharge arrangements. This includes a financial obligation for local authorities to reimburse NHS acute Trusts if social care assessments and necessary social care services are the sole reason that hospital discharge is delayed. Acute Trusts will be obliged to notify social services departments of inpatients likely to need community care services.

Timetable

The new arrangements operated in shadow form without payments from 1st October 2003, and went live from 5th January 2004. The initial scheme only covers acute inpatient delayed discharges, although the Act includes the discretion to extend reimbursement at an unspecified point in the future to other categories of NHS beds, such as rehabilitation.

The government has also announced a further financial allocation to local authorities in England, to coincide with the introduction of reimbursement, of £100m for each full year. In 2003/4, councils will in total receive £50m although the first three months of reimbursement operating it was in shadow form, with no actual payments taking place.

Further Information

For further information on reimbursement contact the Social Care Policy and Innovation Division mailbox (link below)

Further information on the work of the Change Agent Team, which was established to help improve hospital discharge arrangements, is available through the link below.

Additional links

Integrated Care Network (ICN)

The ICN aims to help frontline organisations to work together to deliver flexible services that help people to remain in control and live independent lives. If you work with services in the health, local government or independent sectors then this website is for you.

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