This indicator measures the impact of community-based care in facilitating timely discharge from hospital, the quality of service received in hospital and the mechanisms in place within the hospital to facilitate timely discharge. It is a delivery contract target, an indicator of older people's services, and a measure of the interface between the NHS and social services. People should receive the right care in the right place at the right time and primary care trusts must ensure, with acute trusts and social services partners, that people move on from the acute environment once they are safe to transfer. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges, etc) Act 2003 facilitates joint working with social services and requires partners to identify the causes of delay, the agency responsible, and the actions required to tackle delays within their local system. Although this is an all-age indicator the vast majority of those delayed are over 75 years. As a result of investment in extra capacity and the introduction of the new Act, delayed transfers of care should be reduced to a minimal level by 2006.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Band 1 - poor | greater than 6.6% |
| Band 2 | less than or equal to 6.6% and greater than 4.3% |
| Band 3 | less than or equal to 4.3% and greater than 2.0% |
| Band 4 | less than or equal to 2.0% and greater than 1.0% |
| Band 5 - good | Less than or equal to 1.0% |