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Written question asked by Christopher Chope (Conservative) on Thursday, 30 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 November 2025 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Wednesday, 5 November 2025. A substantive answer was provided by Zubir Ahmed (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 December 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Hospital Beds: Dorset

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many beds at University Hospitals Dorset were occupied on (a) 1 April and (b) 1 October 2025 by patients with no criteria to reside.

Answer

Information about how many beds are occupied by patients with no criteria to reside by trust is published by NHS England, and this information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/

The following table shows how many beds at University Hospitals Dorset were occupied by patients with no criteria to reside for 1 April 2025 and 1 October 2025:

Date

Number of patients remaining in hospital who no longer meet the criteria to reside

1 April 2025

186

1 October 2025

194

Source: NHS England

To support trusts to reduce the number of beds occupied by patients with no criteria to reside, the Government published a new policy framework in January 2025 for the £9 billion Better Care Fund. This holds the National Health Service and local authorities accountable for setting and achieving joint goals for reducing discharge delays and preventing avoidable emergency admissions. Some challenged systems are also receiving a programme of improvement support.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
86599
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Hospital beds Dorset
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk