§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days were lost in the NHS in(a) England and (b) Wales due to delayed discharges in the last 12 months; and what was the estimated cost to the NHS. [82836]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 25 November 2002]: There was an average of 5,989 delayed transfers of care of patients of all ages in England per day, between the quarter beginning September 2001 and ending in June 2002. The broad estimate of the cost to the national health service where these patients have experienced delayed discharge in an acute hospital bed for this period is around £600,000 per day.
325W
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Shropshire were classed as delayed discharges in each NHS trust in the last year for which figures are available. [83186]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information requested for Shropshire is shown in the table. The figures are not directly comparable because of the structural changes within the national health service.
Numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by primary care trust Number Quarter 2 2002–03 10 Quarter 1 2002–03 5 Numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by health authorities Quarter 4 2001–02 9 Quarter 3 2001–02 27
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 5 December 2002,Official Report, column 963W, on delayed discharges, (1) if he will (a) list the organisations his Department consulted and (b) set out the methodology his Department used when calculating the extra £100 million for social services; [86923]
(2) what (a) assumptions and (b) data were used to make his estimate of the £100 million cost of transfer from the NHS to social services. [88562]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer dated 16 December 2002]: The additional £100 million funding for social services announced on 28 November was not the subject of a formal consultation.
The assumptions underlying the £100 million figure are as follows: assuming that local authorities reach the targets they have set themselves to reduced delayed transfers of care by March 2003, and which are conditions of their receiving Building Care Capacity Grant for that year, there will be a total of 4,200 delays on average per day. Of the 4,200 delays, it is assumed that 1,900 would be at the £100 rate per day and 2,300 at the £120 rate per day. Of these, it is assumed that social services might be responsible for some 60 per cent. On that basis and on the assumption that social services make no further progress in reducing delays beyond the March 2003 targets, the total sum that social services departments would have to pay in reimbursements to the National Health Service per year would be around £100 million.
§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the rates of delayed discharge were for health authorities in each of the last four quarters in the areas of(a) 3 star social services, (b) 2 star social services, (c) 1 star social services and (d) 0 star social services; [87322] (2) which 3 star social services departments chose not to allocate their funding for Delayed Discharges, Special Grant, 2002–03, to reducing delayed discharge; [87323]
326W(3) what assessment he has made of the effects of the special grant for delayed discharges made available to social services departments in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [87324]
§ Jacqui SmithThe grant was used in a variety of ways, consistent with its purpose. High proportions of the grant were used to fund residential and nursing care placements, and increase fees. The funding allocated to councils will provide for a continued reduction in the number of delayed discharges from hospitals, so that 20 per cent. fewer beds are blocked in March 2003, compared to March 2002.
The National Health Service Quarter 2 (September 2002) figures on delayed discharge and emergency readmission have been placed in the Library, along with earlier quarters' data. These data are not available by council areas. Delayed discharges are a joint health and social services indicator, but data are submitted to the Department on the basis of NHS organisations, the data having been agreed with their social services partners. No social services departments chose not to allocate their building care capacity grant funding to reduce delayed discharge, as this was a condition of their receipt of the grant.