HC Deb 28 January 2003 vol 398 cc803-4W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the delayed discharge figures; and what audit mechanisms are in place to ensure the figures are accurately collected and collated. [92992]

Jacqui Smith

The NHS Plan set out the Government's commitment to reduce substantially the number of people waiting to be discharged from hospital when they are fit to do so. Good progress has been made so far, with over 1,500 fewer people waiting to be discharged on any one day between September 2001 and September 2002. The Department is concerned to ensure that all data are as accurate as possible. Since April 2002, primary care trusts are responsible for submitting quarterly data to the Department. The Department can, and does, query data via the relevant strategic health authority on a regular basis.

Mr. Burns

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharge patients there were in hospital in(a) the latest month for which figures are available and (b) May 2002, broken down by local authority area in England. [89694]

Jacqui Smith

[holding answers 14 January 2002]The information requested is not available in the form requested. Delayed discharge data for England from September 2001 to September 2002 are shown in the table. These data are not available by council areas. Delayed discharges are a joint health and social services indicator and data are submitted to the Department on the basis of national health service organisations, the data having been agreed with their social services partners.

Since April 2002, this has been broken down by primary care trust areas and prior to that; by health authority. The detailed breakdowns by health authority and primary care trust have been placed in the Library.

England: Numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by
primary care trust1
Delayed discharges
September 2002 5,385
June 2002 5,489
March 2002 5,473
December 2001 6,419
September 2001 7,065
1March 2002, December 2001 and September 2001 figures were collected by health authorities

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recent levels of delayed discharges in(a) North Yorkshire and (b) England. [93015]

Jacqui Smith

There has been a continued reduction in delayed discharges in England, the latest figures for September 2002 show 5,385 delays compared to 7,065 in September 2001. Delayed discharges are a joint health and social services indicator and data are submitted to the Department on the basis of national health service organisations, the data having been agreed with their social services partners. Since April 2002, this has been broken down by primary care trust (PCT). The detailed breakdowns by PCT for June 2002 and September 2002 have been placed in the Library.