Delayed Transfers of Care Ratio

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
England
Publishing Organisation
National Health Service (NHS) England: Delayed Transfers of Care
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Efficiency
Domain
Hospitalisation

Defining Attributes

Definition

The ratio of delayed days to adult bed days.

Numerator

Number of delayed days during the month.

Denominator

Number of adult bed days.

Exclusions

Under 18 years of age; day cases; regular day & night attenders; zero length of stay admissions.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Monthly Delayed Transfers of Care Return (MSitDT), collected on a local authority and provider basis. Organisations submit data to NHS England through a template via NHS Digital's SDCS system. Adult bed days calculated from SUS+ data available through the NCDR (more timely data than the official source of the adult bed days - Hospital Episode Statistics).

Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods

NHS England Delayed Transfers of Care website (Discontinued). Last published on 9th April 2020. Replaced by Average Number of People Delayed per Day (formerly called DTOC Beds).

Reporting Frequency
Monthly
Reporting Frequency in Days
30
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025