Age UK's new report, The Longest Wait to Leave: Tackling the delayed discharges that help to drive corridor care, examines delayed hospital discharge and its role in driving corridor care, following the charity's earlier campaign on A&E waits. It highlights that 6.75 million bed days a year, costing £2.66 billion, are occupied by patients medically fit for discharge, causing distress, deconditioning and poorer recovery prospects. This reduces capacity for elective care and worsens A&E waiting times. Older people bear the brunt, accounting for 60% of 12+ hour A&E waits and 85% of delayed discharges. The report examines causes and impacts, and calls for stronger community capacity to support recovery.
