Fixing the Bottleneck: A New Model for Breaking the Discharge Deadlock

Delayed hospital discharge has become the pressure point that everyone recognises, yet no one seems able to fix.

Across England, more than 13,000 people remain in hospital beds each day despite being medically fit to leave. That figure has barely moved in years. It costs the NHS an estimated £1.9 billion annually, but the real toll is far greater—avoidable harm for patients, exhausted staff, stalled recovery, and a health system that begins each day with its capacity already compromised.

Winter pressures now start in September. Ambulances idle outside full hospitals. Elective procedures are postponed. And while policy after policy promises integration and reform, the truth on the ground remains the same.

So what’s really going on – and what will it take to change it?

That’s the focus of our new paper, Fixing the Bottleneck: A Practical, Pragmatic Solution to the Discharge Crisis. It sets out the problem clearly, and more importantly, proposes a solution that works.

The problem isn’t just delay – it’s design

In most hospitals, once a patient no longer meets the criteria to reside, they enter what can only be described as a system vacuum. Is it now a Trust issue? A care transfer hub issue? A social care issue? A funding issue?

The answer is usually yes, to all of them.

At the very moment someone needs clear coordination, the system fragments. Everyone is responsible, and no one is empowered. The result? Delays that drag on for days or weeks. A slow and painful erosion of both human and system potential.

At FCC, we call this the join. It’s where sectors meet – but don’t align. It’s where intentions stall. And it’s where we choose to work.

Our approach: practical partnership, not more pilots

Future Care Capital is an independent charity with a track record of working at the interfaces that others avoid. In this case, we’ve partnered with Autumna, a purpose-led technology company that maintains the UK’s largest and most accurate directory of elderly care and home care services.

Autumna’s Dashboard for Accelerated Discharge (DAD) enables real-time matching of patients to appropriate care settings—residential, home care, or live-in. It provides a shortlist of viable, capacity-verified options within 60 minutes. The result? Fewer phone calls, less guesswork, and a 75% success rate in finding a suitable placement fast.

But technology alone doesn’t fix the system. FCC leads the wider change – facilitating trust-level adoption, brokering collaboration across ICBs and local authorities, and embedding evaluation from day one. Our goal isn’t another pilot. It’s a working, scalable solution that delivers immediate impact and long-term value.

Evaluation built in, evidence at the core

From day one, we will track what works: reductions in delay, improved patient flow, staff time saved, and better outcomes. We’re not promising transformation overnight. We are promising measurable, replicable progress that can be shared and scaled.

The business case is clear and urgent

Even a modest reduction in discharge delays delivers real value:

• A 20-bed reduction = £7,900 saved per day = £2.8 million annually

• Faster discharge unlocks elective capacity, improves urgent care compliance, and reduces readmissions

• Staff gain back hours otherwise lost to fragmented processes

In the current climate, these aren’t efficiencies. They are necessities.

What happens next: join the test phase

We’re currently identifying sites to implement this model in Summer and Autumn 2025. We’re looking for organisations that are ready to try something different, who know the system is stuck and are willing to work across boundaries to move it.

Our aim is simple: clear the backlog now and build a long-term model that works all year round.

Ready to learn more?

This isn’t just a system problem. It’s a human one. Every day spent in the hospital unnecessarily is a day of life on pause. With the right tools, the right people, and the right support, we can do better.

Download the paper now to see how we’re helping local systems fix the discharge bottleneck—and how you can be part of the solution.

👉 [Download: Fixing the Bottleneck – A Practical, Pragmatic Solution to the Discharge Crisis]

Read our blog posts on Discharge 

Why Discharge is the Hidden Lever for Hospital Performance

The Bed Block Myth: What Your Delayed Discharge Data Isn’t Telling You