Commentary on Sections Part 1 – Delayed Discharge Payments
8.In “Delivering the NHS Plan”, published on 17 April 2002, the Government announced its intention of reducing the number of people who are ready and safe to leave hospital, but are unable to do so because their care needs have not been assessed or their package of onward care has not been put together, by introducing a system of reimbursement for delayed hospital discharge. This Act gives effect to that policy intention.
9.The liability to pay for delayed discharges which is established in Part 1 will only arise in situations where the local authority has not put in place the community care services, or services provided to an individual’s carer, which the authority has assessed the patient as needing in order to be safely discharged. Community care services are social services provided to adults, including care delivered in the individual’s home, residential care and respite care. The intention is to provide an incentive for local authorities to use the period before admission (e.g. in the case of elective treatment), or following admission but before discharge, to assess a patient’s or carer’s needs and arrange the appropriate services.