Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of delayed discharges from hospitals in Leicester.

Leicester City Council has been allocated £2.5 million in 2023/24 as part of the £600 million Discharge Fund for local authorities and integrated care boards.

The Department has been working closely with the National Health Service and local authorities to improve data on delayed discharge and ensure every acute hospital has access to a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub. In Leicester, the care transfer hub operates seven days a week and brings together a range of health and social care professionals to support the timely discharge of patients.

In September, NHS England published an intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge.

In Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland a new ward has been developed for patients who would previously have been discharged to a residential home. This has brought a reduction in waiting times in the acute hospital by providing intermediate care through onsite therapy support. Two additional dedicated wards will open in January 2024.