Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people currently in hospital waiting to be discharged to care homes when places become available; and what steps he is taking to reduce that waiting period.

This information is not held in the format requested.

Information is collected on the number of bed days occupied by patients waiting to be discharged from hospital. The latest available information estimates that, on an average day in August, 1,574 beds were occupied by patients waiting to be discharged to nursing or residential care homes.

This Government is clear that no-one should stay in a hospital bed longer than necessary as it removes people’s dignity, reduces their quality of life and can lead to poorer health and care outcomes.

This Government has provided an additional £2 billion of funding to be spent on meeting adult social care needs generally; to stabilise the social care market and to reduce pressures on the National Health Service, including delayed transfers of care.