Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients under the Discharge to Assess model were readmitted within 30 days of discharge since 2016; and if he will make a comparative assessment of that proportion with the proportion of all other patients discharged from acute care and readmitted within 30 days in the same period.

The Discharge to Assess model ensures people who are clinically ready and no longer need to be in hospital, are safely supported to return to their place of residence, where possible, for a period of reablement and rehabilitation. Following this an assessment of longer-term needs can take place.

Data is not held centrally on the number of patients who have been discharged using the Discharge to Assess model in pilot schemes since 2016, as these pilots were locally implemented. Data is therefore unavailable on the number of patients who have been readmitted to hospital within 30 days from these pilot schemes.

The Discharge to Assess policy was implemented in March 2020 and as such there were no locations where the policy was not in operation. Data in relation to readmissions since the policy has been in place is not yet available and therefore no comparative assessment has been made.

However, NHS Digital publish data on the emergency readmissions to hospital within 30 days of discharge annually, with the latest publication for 2019 to 2020 available at:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/compendium-emergency-readmissions/current/emergency-readmissions-to-hospital-within-30-days-of-discharge-by-diagnosis