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by Gabriella Coldrick, Category Manager – Health NHS Shared Business Services. |
With media commentators already predicting “winter chaos” this year, leading corporate services provider NHS SBS is encouraging trusts to plan their admissions and discharge strategies early.
A trio of communicable diseases – flu, Covid-19, and RSV – combined with the threat of industrial action is causing concern, with many NHS trusts already looking at ways to increase capacity and free-up much-needed bed space.
The warning signs are clear. Last winter was the busiest on record for emergency services, with over 5,400 patients a day hospitalised with flu – year. In the first week of January, more than 1,100 patients were in hospital with Covid-19 each day in England. Norovirus cases also surged by nearly 50%, further straining capacity.
Despite the successful delivery of over 27 million vaccinations for flu, Covid-19, and RSV by the end of 2024, the NHS continues to face mounting pressure. Bed occupancy has exceeded safe thresholds, ambulance handover delays have reached record highs, and some patients have waited over two days to be seen in emergency departments. Several trusts declared critical incidents, and frontline staff described conditions as “similar to the height of the pandemic.”
Systemic challenges – such as delayed discharges and bottlenecks in patient flow – have compounded the crisis.
An average of 11,969 beds are occupied by patients who are medically fit for discharge, highlighting the urgent need for improved discharge pathways and community-based care options. This number represented one in eight of all occupied adult general and acute beds at the time, highlighting the significant impact that delayed discharges have on hospital capacity during peak winter pressures.
10-year plan for England
With the 10-year plan for England focusing on three major shifts—including moving care closer to home- now is the time to relieve pressure on hospitals. NHS SBS’ Patient Discharge and Mental Health Step Down Beds (Care) Services Framework Agreement offers a practical solution to support hospitals in discharging adults and improving the patient pathway from acute care to appropriate community settings. It streamlines transitions, reduces delayed transfers of care, and helps prevent avoidable readmissions.
By discharging patients who meet specific clinical criteria into suitable care environments, trusts can reduce re-admissions and leverage services like virtual ward support, brokerage, and discharge-to-assess models to improve patient flow and outcomes.
What is the purpose of this framework agreement?
There are a number of ways our framework agreement can support to free-up bed space and support care in the community:
- Lot 1: Discharge to assess services
Facilitates patient discharge from emergency departments, acute hospitals, and community care settings into appropriate care environments. - Lot 2: Third party brokerage services
Provides brokerage support for patients ready for discharge, helping match them with suitable care providers. - Lot 3: Integrated care at home
Offers secondary care services within a patient’s home for up to six weeks, following referral from clinical discharge teams. - Lot 4: Mental health step down care beds services
Secures supported placements for adults being discharged from acute mental health wards, with safe, rapid assessments and transitional accommodation for up to six weeks.
As the NHS braces for another challenging season, early planning and strategic use of discharge and step-down services could be the key to maintaining resilience across health and social care.
