Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the average time taken for transfers of care of patients being discharged from hospitals to home care provision.

It is important that people are discharged promptly from hospital with the right support in place. This winter, local systems have been asked to place a particular focus on reducing bed occupancy and improving patient flow, whilst from 2025/26, National Health Service trusts have been asked to eliminate discharge delays of more than 48 hours caused by issues in the hospital and to work with local authorities to reduce the longest delays, including those linked to arranging onwards care packages.

Through the Better Care Fund (BCF) the Government has provided £9 billion to be used jointly by the NHS and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals, including reducing discharge delays for those awaiting home care provision.

In 2026/27 the BCF will continue to focus on those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation, and reablement.