• NHS England publishes performance data for February 2017
• For the first time the majority of delayed transfers of care were linked to social care capacity
• We say it’s vital that extra funding announced for social care is used effectively to ease pressure on the NHS and help avoid unnecessary delays for patients.

NHS performance data published by NHS England show that for the first time, in February this year, the majority of delayed transfers of care were linked to the lack of availability of social care.

The data shows that there were 184,855 delayed days in February 2017, compared with 158,131 in February 2016.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “Patients who are well enough to leave hospital should be able to do so at the earliest opportunity.

“The increase in delays to discharge for patients equated to over 1,150 more beds being taken out of normal usage, compared with February 2016. The Next Steps on the Five Year Forward View document published last month sets out key deliverables for the next two years. These include hospitals, primary and community care and local councils working together to ensure people are not stuck in hospital while waiting for delayed community health and social care.”

Responding to the figures, the head of policy and strategy and NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

“Once again in February delayed transfers of care for patients who were medically fit and ready to leave hospital were close to record levels. This is not only a poor use of resources at a time of severe financial pressures. The delays often cause uncertainty, distress and worse outcomes for patients.

We welcomed the additional funding for social care in last month’s budget, but it is vital that this money is used effectively to ease pressure on the NHS.

“We have been warning for some time about increasing delays linked to the availability of social care. For the first time this now lies behind the majority of delayed discharges, once the knock on effect of delays from community services into social care are accounted for. We welcomed the additional funding for social care in last month’s budget, but it is vital that this money is used effectively to ease pressure on the NHS, and help avoid unnecessary delays for patients.

“There was some improvement in A & E performance in February compared with January. The proportion seen and treated within four hours was 87.6 per cent – still well short of the 95 per cent target. But the figures also show over the year attendances rose by more than three per cent. During the winter NHS staff responded heroically to unprecedented pressures. But that situation is not sustainable. We must start planning now to ensure we do not face similar or worse problems next winter.

We must start planning now to ensure we do not face similar or worse problems next winter.

“One area of real encouragement was in mental health. The target requires more than 50 per cent of people experiencing First Episode Psychosis to receive a NICE recommended package of care within two weeks of referral. Although the data is still at an experimental stage, the figure for February was more than 80 per cent, the highest so far.”