Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Hospital Patients: Discharge into Social Care

Tuesday 5 December 2023 · 3 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

  • Progress has been made in reducing delayed discharges from hospitals, with a 13% decrease since January.
  • The government aims to balance immigration with the workforce needs in health and social care.
  • The government is reforming the social care workforce to attract more home-grown talent.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
Immigration NHS Social Care
Context

The question arises from concerns about delayed discharges and the impact on hospital capacity.

Question

What progress has been made in discharging patients from hospitals and moving them into social care? In North East Fife, an average of 14% of social care roles are filled when first advertised. How will making it harder to recruit care workers from overseas affect hospitals' ability to discharge patients?

Answer from Helen Whately

We have been working hard to reduce delayed discharges, which are down 13% since January. The announcement on migration aims to balance immigration with workforce needs in health and social care. We are also reforming the social care workforce to attract home-grown talent.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific impact of restricting international recruitment on discharging hospital patients into social care was not addressed.

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Q2 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
NHS Social Care
Context

The question stems from high social care vacancy rates in North East Fife and concerns over the government's migration announcement.

Question

In my constituency, 14% of social care roles are filled when advertised. How will making it harder to recruit international workers affect hospitals' ability to discharge patients?

Answer from Helen Whately

We must balance migration with workforce needs in health and social care. We are reforming the social care workforce to attract home-grown talent.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific impact of restricting international recruitment on discharging hospital patients into social care was not addressed.

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Q3 Abena Oppong-Asare Lab Erith and Thamesmead
Social Care
Context

The question addresses the government's failure to fix social care despite their promise, highlighting issues such as high vacancy rates, staff turnover, and delayed discharges.

Question

Thanks to internal chaos, Conservatives failed in their election pledge to fix social care. With over 150,000 vacancies and 390,000 staff leaving annually, 60% of fit patients are kept in hospital daily. Will the Minister support Labour's plan for fair pay agreements to ensure sufficient staffing?

Answer from Helen Whately

Labour does not have a social care reform plan. We are introducing a new career structure for social care workers, new qualifications, and investing in training.

Not addressed: The specific ask about backing Labour's fair pay agreement was entirely avoided.

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