Metric permalink
Delayed hospital discharges (England)
Part of the Public Service Capacity domain. Average number of patients per day in English hospitals who are medically fit for discharge but remain in a hospital bed.
Latest data
Latest reading
July 2026
A higher reading is treated as worse for this indicator.
Score composition
Stress score
Blended from three components: (60% weight), trend (30% weight) and volatility (10% weight). Full formula on the methodology page.
Level · 60% weight
Bounds: scored against fixed best/worst limits, used until a metric has about eight years of verified data to rank against.
Trend · 30% weight
Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.
Volatility · 10% weight
29Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.
Data confidence and provenance
Confidence and source
How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).
Source
Discharge delays situation reports
- Update frequency
- Monthly
- Reliability
- medium
Provenance
- Provider
- NHS England (Acute Discharge SitRep)
- Series ID
- patients no longer meeting criteria to reside
- Frequency
- monthly
- Accessed
- 13 August 2026
Known weakness
Administrative data; the definition of 'delayed discharge' has changed in reporting criteria over time, and reporting compliance varies across trusts.
Notes
Verified official value from NHS England (Acute Discharge SitRep) (patients no longer meeting criteria to reside), accessed 2026-08-13.
Historical values
History
| Period | Value | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 13.8 | |
| May 2026 | 13.3 | |
| June 2026 | 13.6 | |
| July 2026 | 14.1 |