Website of the Department of Health

Delayed discharges

The Government is commited to reducing the number of patients who are delayed in hospital despite being fit to be discharged. As part of this strategy, if a patient is delayed from discharging from acute services solely because supporting community care arrangements are lacking, the local authority at fault will have to financially reimburse the relevant NHS acute trust. In return, trusts must notify social services departments of patients who may require community care.

Since January 2004, this strategy has successfully reduced delayed discharges from acute services. The Government is looking to extend this scheme to benefit non-acute and mental health services.  

The delayed discharge grant has now been incorporated into local authority baselines.