Clause 4 - Liability to make delayed discharge payments
Community Care (Delayed Discharge etc.) Bill
4:45 pm
Ms Jacqui Smith (Minister of State, Department of Health; Redditch, Labour)
Opposition Members have often referred to readmissions. In building a whole-systems approach, it is important to ensure that people leave hospital when it is safe for them to do so and that they will not need to be readmitted in an emergency. Readmission figures have been consistent since the beginning of 1999. Opposition Members often emphasise the number of readmissions. Part of the reason for the increase in readmissions even when the rate remains the same is that more people are admitted.
In the first quarter of 2002–03, 7.5 per cent. of elderly patients who had been discharged were readmitted as emergencies within 28 days. That compares with 7.3 per cent. in the same period last year. That is a small increase, and we are determined to ensure throughout the system that it does not worsen. Our target is to maintain a steady rate of emergency readmissions, while bearing down on delayed discharges.