Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed discharges from hospitals due to inadequate adult social care provision on overall NHS capacity.

The Government recognises that delays to hospital discharge impact National Health Service capacity. There are multiple factors contributing to delayed discharges, including processes within hospitals and the availability of appropriate care packages.

The Government has committed approximately £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) in 2025/26, to support integrated services including intermediate care, which are vital for timely discharge and preventing readmissions. The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 made it a priority for hospitals to tackle discharge delays, starting with those waiting over 21 days after becoming medically fit for discharge.

From 2026/27, the BCF will be reformed to ensure consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for services essential to integrated care, including hospital discharge.