Delayed Transfers of Care, March 2012

Statistics on Delayed Transfers of Care include data for Wales on the census date 21 March 2012. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 20 March 2012.

The key points from the latest release are:

• The total number of patients experiencing a delayed transfer of care on the census date of 21 March 2012 was 494; this is an increase of 42, or 9 per cent, on the figure for 15 February 2012. The longer term trend is a steady, but fluctuating, decline over the last seven years from a level of over 1,000 in March 2004 to around 500 in the last year.
• The total number of patients waiting to leave hospital was 404.  Of these, 125 were delayed in mental health facilities and 279 were in other acute and community hospitals. A further 56 patients were experiencing a delayed transfer within the NHS or waiting for an assessment and for 34 the next stage could not be determined.
• Delays for community care reasons accounted for 103 (29 per cent) of the 357 patients in acute and community hospitals compared with 95 (27 per cent) for healthcare reasons, 54 (15 per cent) waiting for availability of care home and 105 (29 per cent) for other reasons, including legal/financial, disagreement, and selection of care home.
• The number of delays in acute and community hospitals as a percentage of the average number of available beds ranged from 2.3 per cent to 7.9 per cent.
• The rate per 10,000 population aged 75 or over of delayed transfers for patients of all ages in acute and community hospitals in each of the 22 unitary authority areas ranged from 3.5 per 10,000 to 30.3 per 10,000.

Further information

StatsWales website

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 3134
E-mail: stats.healthinfo@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

22 May 2012