Delayed Discharges
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
Publishing Organisation
Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation programme: QualityWatch
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Discharges
Defining Attributes
Definition
The total number of patients in acute hospitals who were ready to leave hospital but were delayed.
Numerator
Patients who have not met the criteria to reside (i.e. are medically fit to leave hospital) but are not discharged.
Denominator
The sum of all those in hospital who are not yet ready to leave hospital, those that are ready to leave hospital but have not been discharged, and those that are ready to leave hospital and have been discharged by the end of the day.
Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
None
Stratifications
By length of stay (up to 20 days, 21+ days).
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods
NHS Digital
Frequency of Data Collection
Daily
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
1
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Monthly
Reporting Frequency in Days
30
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Evidence Source
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
02 December 2025
Contents
Actions
Date Modified 02 December 2025