Welsh NHS Confederation response to the inquiry on the role of local authorities in supporting hospital discharges

Key points

• Social care services play a crucial role in care pathways – keeping people well for longer outside of hospital and enabling faster, safer discharges home. 

• The NHS is reliant on a sustainable social care system, and issues of capacity and workforce in social care are having serious implications on the NHS’ ability to discharge large numbers of patients from hospital. 

• Delays in discharge can lead to inpatients being cared for in settings which are not the most appropriate for their need and could introduce additional risks of harm to them.

• Apart from the negative impact on patients themselves, this also slows down the flow of patients through hospitals, affecting care available for others. 

• Improvements need to be made to the assessment of current discharge processes and procedures at a local government and national level.