Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what analysis the Department has undertaken to assess the reasons for the time taken between a patient being cleared to be discharged from hospital and that discharge taking place.

A delayed transfer of care from acute or non-acute care occurs when a patient is ready to depart from such care and is still occupying a bed. A patient is ready for transfer when both a clinical decision and a multi-disciplinary team decision has been made that the patient is ready for transfer, and the patient is safe to discharge or transfer.

NHS England publishes data at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/

on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month. These data show the agency responsible for the delay (National Health Service, local authority, or both), and the reason for the delay.