Delayed Discharge Is Costing the NHS Billions

Ambulances queueing outside hospitals, patients waiting in corridors, clinicians at breaking point.
As the BBC reports, this is now a familiar picture across the NHS each winter.
While seasonal viruses add pressure, the most persistent and costly issue sits quietly in the background: thousands of people who are medically fit for discharge but remain in hospital because the right support is not in place.
Every day in England alone, more than 13,000 hospital beds are occupied by patients whose treatment has finished.

At an average cost of £562 per bed per day, this amounts to over £225 million per month spent on care that does not need to happen in hospital. 
The human cost is just as stark, with cancelled operations, long A&E waits, and patients deteriorating simply because they are in the wrong environment.
For people with complex mental health needs, this challenge is even more pronounced. 
Those entitled to 117 funding for aftercare following detention under the Mental Health Act cannot be discharged safely unless appropriate, jointly funded support is in place.

In theory, Section 117 provides a strong legal framework. 
In practice, unclear accountability, fragmented commissioning, and slow decision-making frequently lead to stalled discharge, prolonged hospital stays, and spiralling costs.
The BBC article highlights that delayed discharge is rarely caused by one single factor. 
It is a system problem. 
Discharge requires coordination among NHS trusts, integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities, housing providers, community providers, and families. 
When those relationships work well, as seen in examples such as Gateshead, discharge occurs earlier, and outcomes improve. 
When they don’t, the system grinds to a halt.
This is precisely the gap the HomeCareDirect Genesis Model is designed to address for those entitled to 117 funding for aftercare

Genesis is not just about moving people out of the hospital faster. 
It is about properly designing the discharge pathway from the outset, particularly for people with complex needs and statutory aftercare responsibilities.

Planning begins early, with shared visibility across health and social care partners, so that funding, housing, care packages and risk management are aligned long before a person is clinically ready to leave.
For Section 117 cases, Genesis brings clarity where there is often confusion. 
It supports joint working between the NHS and local authorities, clearly defining aftercare responsibilities, costs and outcomes. 
Instead of people remaining in the hospital while agencies debate funding or wait for placements, the HCD Genesis Model creates a single, coordinated pathway focused on long-term stability rather than short-term crisis management.

The financial implications are significant. 
Every delayed discharge avoided frees up hospital capacity and prevents the physical and psychological decline that often results from prolonged hospital stays.
For the NHS, this means fewer cancelled operations, reduced pressure on emergency departments, and better use of already stretched resources.
The BBC article makes one thing clear: hospitals are excellent places for acute care, but they are not where people should remain once that care is no longer needed.
Solving delayed discharge will not come from working harder within broken systems, but from rethinking how discharge and aftercare are designed in the first place.

If the NHS is serious about reducing pressure, saving money, and improving outcomes, especially for those entitled to Section 117 funding for aftercare, models like the HCD Genesis Model are no longer optional.
They are essential.