For UK social care providers
Patients ready to leave hospital are stuck, and your beds stay empty
Delays in social care assessments, funding decisions, or suitable placement availability trap patients in hospital long after they are clinically ready. Every day that passes costs you hundreds in lost bed income.
Two minutes. Solva follows up with specific patient flow and discharge pathway options.
- Patients remaining in private hospital beds for days or weeks after being medically fit for discharge
- Increased waiting lists for elective procedures due to unavailable beds
- Staff spending significant time coordinating social care assessments and placements
- Reduced capacity for emergency admissions or transfers from NHS hospitals
- Reduced bed availability and increased bed occupancy rates
- Inefficient staff deployment and increased workload for discharge teams
- Direct loss of potential income from unoccupied beds (£275-£500 per bed per night)
- Increased operational costs due to extended inpatient stays
- Increased risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) for patients awaiting discharge
- Decline in patient mobility and functional independence due to prolonged hospitalisation
- Negative patient and family experience leading to poor reviews and reduced referrals
- Damage to the organisation's reputation as an efficient and patient-centred provider
Delayed hospital discharges cost the NHS an estimated £2 billion per year (Homelink Healthcare, 2025)
Frequently asked questions
Why does this problem persist?
Bottlenecks in hospital discharge processes, often due to delays in social care assessments, funding approvals, or availability of suitable care home placements, prevent timely patient transfers. This creates a backlog, reducing bed availability for new referrals and increasing operational costs.
What is the cost of leaving it unaddressed?
Each day a private hospital room remains empty due to delayed discharge represents a direct loss of potential income of £275-£500 per night (Going Private UK, 2026)
This is exactly what I do with UK private practices. Answer the few questions above and I'll come back personally with where to start. Paul.