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Written question asked by Lord Crisp (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 June 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Hospital Beds: Disability

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria integrated care boards use to determine whether to pay for care for disabled people who are fit for discharge from hospital.

Answer

Integrated care boards should work with relevant local partner organisations, including local authorities and other National Health Service bodies to take a person-centred approach when deciding the most appropriate care setting for individuals being discharged from hospital.

Local protocols should be agreed between the relevant partners. These protocols may cover arrangements for discharge services including intermediate care, reablement and rehabilitation, and may also set out arrangements for long-term care assessments, and any associated funding, including for NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Long-term care arrangements should not be made until an individual’s longer-term needs can be assessed accurately.

Departmental statutory guidance published jointly with NHS England on planning and delivering hospital discharge services is available on GOV.UK in an online-only format.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL314
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Disability Community care Discharges Hospitals Hospital beds
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk