Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed discharges on emergency department congestion at Basildon Hospital.

The Government has not made a specific central assessment of the impact of delayed discharges on emergency department congestion at Basildon Hospital.

Local analysis by the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust suggests substantial progress in reducing delayed discharges. This improvement follows the introduction of the integrated care transfer hub and wider system measures to strengthen patient flow, helping to ease pressure on emergency departments.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out actions to improve performance and strengthen services by reducing avoidable attendances and admissions, and through improving patient flow through hospitals. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time, supported by almost £450 million of capital investment to avoid unnecessary admissions and support faster treatment and discharge for patients. It also includes commitments to tackle long delayed patients and reduce internal hospital delays over 48 hours.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan also includes actions to improve urgent and emergency care outcomes, including increased weekend consultant cover to support more weekend discharges and maintain patient flow.