Hospitals: Delayed Discharges

Baroness Pitkeathley Excerpts

Monday 9th February 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Pitkeathley]

To ask His Majesty’s Government how they will respond to the finding in the Health Foundation report Delayed discharges from hospital: comparing performance this year and last, published on 14 December 2025, that the number of beds occupied by people who are medically fit to leave hospital but have nowhere to go is increasing.

[Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)]

My Lords, we know that too many people are delayed leaving hospital. We are determined to tackle this. This winter, we are ensuring that NHS trusts focus on improving in-hospital processes and work with local authorities to tackle the longest delays. We are providing targeted support to the most challenged systems. These efforts are backed by £9 billion through the better care fund, enabling the NHS and local authorities to work together to reduce discharge delays.

[Baroness Pitkeathley (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that response. Every time we hear about the problem of delayed discharges—and some of us have been working on this for decades—the causes are the same: lack of co-operation and co-ordination between the agencies involved, not just the NHS and social care but the families of patients and the community services provided by the private and voluntary sectors. There are places where discharge procedures work well because all those agencies plan together, not worrying about who is footing the bill or who has the greater responsibility. Does my noble friend agree that, except in cases of emergency admissions, discharge planning should start when the patient is admitted and not wait until they are ready for discharge?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right. I emphasise her words that we must have an integrated, co-ordinated approach. She is quite right to highlight that some areas are doing this. It has not been straightforward, but dedication and bringing together all the elements that she raises, including health, social care, housing, voluntary and community partners and the families themselves, make the difference. We are focused on making sure that where good practice exists it can develop and that the statutory guidance around planning for discharge before admission is adhered to locally.