Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Adult social care system reform: next steps to put People at the Heart of Care, published on 4 April 2023, if she will take steps to make funding available to expedite the discharge of elderly patients from hospital.

The Government is investing an additional £600 million this year, and £1 billion next year through the Discharge Fund. This funding will enable the National Health Service and local authorities in England to reduce discharge delays, including by commissioning additional packages of care and support for rehabilitation and reablement.

In September, alongside the £200 million to boost resilience in the NHS, we announced a £40 million fund, targeted at local authorities in the most challenged NHS systems in England. This fund will strengthen urgent and emergency care resilience and performance this winter by preventing avoidable admissions or by reducing discharge delays.