Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Discharge from Hospital: Care Packages

Tuesday 18 January 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Laurence Robertson inquired about steps to expedite care packages for hospital discharge.
  • The Minister stated the NHS has allocated 3.3 billion for hospital discharges during the pandemic, including 478 million for this winter.
  • Daily meetings are held to address the issue, and a national discharge taskforce is working to reduce delays, with 462.5 million provided for winter support.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Laurence Robertson Con
NHS Social Care
Context

Concern about people waiting to be discharged from hospitals due to lack of adequate care packages.

Question

What steps he is taking to help expedite the process of arranging care packages for people waiting to be discharged from hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Answer from Gillian Keegan

People should be discharged safely with appropriate care. The NHS has provided £3.3 billion for hospital discharges over the pandemic, including £478 million this winter. We have also given £462.5 million to support care providers in recruiting social workers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about a statement was not addressed.

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Q2 Laurence Robertson Con
NHS
Context

Almost 30% of acute beds are occupied by patients medically fit for discharge, half awaiting care packages and the other half looking for community hospital or home discharges.

Question

I thank the Minister for that response, but even given all that help, almost 30% of available acute beds in Gloucestershire are occupied by patients who are medically fit for discharge. About half of those are awaiting care packages and the other half are looking for beds in community hospitals or care homes, or awaiting home discharge. What more can the Government do to relieve the pressure on the acute hospitals in Gloucestershire and on all the medical staff?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

The issue is taken seriously; daily meetings are held. We have provided £462.5 million this winter, and the national discharge taskforce is driving progress to reduce delays, including in Gloucestershire, working with local government and the NHS.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for more concrete actions was not fully addressed; only general commitments were made.

How: We Take Very Seriously, Daily Meetings

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