The Government's £250m initiative to speed up hospital discharges reduced the number of bed blockers by less than 3% in its first month.

NHS England data showed the number of patients remaining in hospital who ‘no longer meet the criteria to reside' went from 14,060 on 9 January when the initiative was launched to 13,657 on 9 February – a 2.9% decrease.

Ministers launched the three-month scheme with a promise that £200m would be distributed to buy ‘thousands' of extra care beds.

Alongside this £50m was provided to upgrade and expand hospitals with ‘facilities for patients about to be discharged'.

NHS data for last year showed bed blocking numbers dropped by 8.5% from 13,024 on 19 January to 11,912 a month later despite the extra funding not being available.

It brings into question how much the Government's new initiative has achieved.

Chief executive of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Sheila Norris, said: ‘We recognise the steps the Government has taken to tackle the issue of delayed discharge, including the NHS buying extra places in residential care.

'Our experience is that this will only work well if people have the support around them to help them get better.

‘If we want to solve the hospital discharge problem, we need long-term, sustainable investment in primary and community-based care and support, and for family carers.'  

Local government organisations previously wrote to health secretary Steve Barclay saying wraparound reablement support and clarity on how the funding would work were needed if plans to purchase extra care home spaces were to succeed.

The initiative was supposed to provide funding for Integrated Care Boards to buy short-term care places of up to four weeks but the sector warned at the time it risked creating new pressures for social care services.

One local government source said: ‘Short-term money, announced in January with conditions announced in February to be spent by the end of March, is not achievable given recruitment in care homes will need to take place and there is no guarantee this business will continue when the short-term grant ends.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘According to the most recent figures, there are around 13,122 patients in hospitals who are medically fit to be discharged, which was down from over 14,000 the month before.

‘We have already invested £250m to free up hospital beds and reduce pressures on A&E, on top of our £500m discharge fund, which is already with local areas to spend on the frontline to help more people get the right care at the right time.'

Editor's comment: Money alone is not enough to solve bed blocking