Care Homes
(asked on 9th March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision.
The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of patients discharged from hospital to nursing or residential care placements outside their home local authority area due to local shortages of provision. Local authorities have statutory responsibility for assessing and meeting eligible care needs and for arranging appropriate placements.
Enabling people to be discharged from hospital more quickly and with the right support contributes to speedier recovery and better outcomes. In some instances, this may mean discharging a patient outside of their local area so that they can receive the most appropriate care after discharge.
The Hospital Discharge and Community Support Guidance sets out that integrated care boards and local authorities should agree local arrangements to ensure that any decisions about the joint funding of care can be made swiftly. The guidance is available at the following link:
These arrangements should follow the Who Pays? guidance for services funded by the NHS, and reference ‘ordinary residence’ rules for services funded by local authorities, so that there is no adverse effect on timely discharge. The Who Pays? guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/who-pays/
The Government provides £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) to be used jointly by the NHS and local authorities towards achieving agreed goals for reducing discharge delays. This February, the Government published guidance setting out new arrangements for the BCF. As well as supporting timely discharge from hospital, the BCF will also focus on services that help people regain independence and prevent avoidable admissions.