Hospital bed-blocking 'costs' NHS England £900m a year

Delays in transferring patients out of hospital after treatment could be costing the NHS in England £900m a year, an independent review has said.

Labour peer Lord Carter's report on how the NHS could save cash said nearly one in 10 beds was occupied by someone who was medically fit to be released.

Lord Carter also called for better procurement and staff management and said the drugs bill should be cut.

He said the "deliverable" proposals could help save £5bn a year by 2020.

Hospitals across England must end "stark" differences in spending and productivity, Lord Carter added.

He found the average cost of an inpatient treatment is £3,500 but said there was 20% variation between the most expensive trusts and the least expensive.

'Major problem'

Lord Carter said: "My experience of the NHS and hospitals internationally is that high-quality patient care and sound financial management go hand in hand."

The government-commissioned report described the issue of so-called bed-blocking as a "major problem".

It happens when there is not the right support in the community to enable them to release patients safely and so is - to a large extent - outside the control of hospitals.

"Nearly all trusts wrestle with the problem of moving those who are medically fit into settings that are more appropriate for the delivery of their care or rehabilitation, and for the families and carers," said the report.

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Analysis

By Nick Triggle, BBC health correspondent

Hospitals consume £55bn of health spending - about half the annual budget. So a £5bn efficiency target is very ambitious.

But as a sign of the mountain the health service has to climb in the coming years, consider this: it doesn't even go a quarter of the way to achieving the overall savings the health service is aiming for.

In return for the extra £8bn it is getting this Parliament, the NHS has pledged to save £22bn.

It means the rest will have to come from people improving their lifestyles (and so preventing ill-health), moving care out of hospitals and into the community (which is cheaper) and keeping tight control on salaries. It promises to be a tough few years.