Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made on establishing and maintaining an average Delayed Transfer of Care figure of 4,000 or fewer delays; and if he will make a statement.

As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health Service will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.

In March 2019 there were, on average, 4,478 people experiencing a delayed discharge each day - a reduction of 2,182 fewer people delayed every day in comparison to February 2017 (baseline position of 6,660 average daily delays). This represents a consistent and sustained reduction over a two-year period.

During 2018/19, there were 313,000 (an average of 860 per day) fewer cases of people experiencing a delayed transfer of care in comparison with 2017/18 - a reduction of almost 16%.

The Long Term Plan ambition states “over the next two years is to achieve and maintain an average delayed transfer of care figure of 4,000 or fewer delays, and over the next five years to reduce them further”.

A cross-agency delayed transfer of care reduction plan is in place to coordinate improvement activity and address areas of challenged performance.