The Institute for Employment Research (IER) with Chris Warhurst as the Principal Investigator was awarded Vivensa Academy Ignition funding to look into one of the biggest pressures facing health and care services in the UK: delayed hospital discharge. This happens when someone is medically ready to leave hospital but cannot return home or move into the right care setting straight away.
These delays matter. Not only are they detrimental to the patient’s health and well-being, they also slow down services and increase waiting times, at enormous cost to the NHS. Approximately 60% of patients assessed as ready for discharge remain in hospital due to delays, primarily at the interface between inpatient wards and adult social care.
A multi-level analysis of care constraints
The Institute for Employment Research along with Warwick Medical School produced a detailed analysis of the situation in their new report. It introduces a multi-level econometric model to quantify the structural drivers of discharge delays. This moves beyond traditional capacity-focused explanations to include factors such as workforce shortages, funding gaps and contractual rigidities in adult social care. The model was developed using stroke care as a critical test case, because stroke patients often need complex support after leaving hospital.
As a result of developing the econometric model, the research team proposes two future phases. First, a small-scale research project to test the model using hospital and social care data from a Scottish stroke ward and its ecosystem. This will require moderate funding. Second, and contingent on successful testing, a larger pilot project involving co-development and evaluation with all partners. This will require expanded expertise and funding.
If you want to see how better evidence could improve patient flow, care outcomes and the way health and social care work together, the full report is well worth a read. You can find it here.
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Find out more about the Academy Ignition Fund here. If you’d like to apply for funding, the deadlines for 2026 are 18 September and 27 November.
