18
Deferred
Publish annual official estimates of delayed discharge costs to the NHS, broken down by reason
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department provides an official estimate of how much delayed discharges are costing the NHS, broken down by the reason for the delay and including costs associated with the beds themselves, staff time and wider activity that cannot happen as a result of a delayed discharge. This should be published and updated annually. (Recommendation, Paragraph 101)
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that publishing cost estimates would improve transparency but notes methodological challenges. It commits to exploring how best to publish cost data rather than directly providing an official, annually updated estimate broken down by delay reason, effectively deferring the specific action.
Government Response
Deferred
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We agree that publishing cost estimates broken down by delay reason would in principle improve transparency about the impact of delayed discharges. There are some methodological challenges involved in estimating costs attributable to delayed discharge, with any estimate necessarily relying on a number of assumptions rather than providing a precise attributable amount. We will explore how best to publish cost data with these caveats.
Source
Committee
Health and Social Care Committee
Report
2nd Report - Adult Social Care Reform: the cost of inaction
05 May 2025
HC 368
Addressee Bodies
Department of Health and Social Care
Timeline
Recommendation age
1.1 yr
Report published
05 May 2025