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Delayed hospital discharge cost the NHS £2.7bn in 2025/2026 — an increase of 7.5% in just one year, the King’s Fund think tank has estimated.
However, pharmacy leaders have said this could be eased by greater investment in community and preventative services and interoperable IT systems.
In its analysis of NHS England data published on 8 July 2026, the King’s Fund reported that almost one in ten of all hospital beds at any given point in time are being taken up by someone who was fit enough to be discharged, costing the NHS £562 per day,
“These delays cause frustrations for patients who are stuck in hospital beds, unable to leave and get back to their friends and family whilst knowing sicker patients need your bed,” a statement said.
“The impacts also trickle down into the rest of the system with A&Es becoming backed-up, unable to admit people into hospital and leading to awful cases of corridor care, with almost 70,000 instances reported last month.”
Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at The King’s Fund, added: “‘Ultimately, these problems can only be addressed sustainably by reducing incoming demand on hospitals. That means the government must be much bolder in tackling wider issues like obesity or moving care out of hospitals by effectively implementing greater community care.”
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, commented: “Money currently spent on preventable readmissions and unnecessary hospital pressures would be better invested in strengthening primary care. This would help deliver the government’s prevention agenda, helping to keep patients well and out of hospital.
“The estimated £2.7bn cost of delayed discharges underlines the urgent need to ease pressure across the NHS, making better use of community pharmacy is one way to help with this.
“The Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) is a clear example of community pharmacy supporting critical issues across the NHS. By helping patients with their medicines after leaving hospital, DMS reduces medication errors, avoidable harm and preventable readmissions, improving patient care while freeing up much-needed hospital capacity.
“Embedding DMS into discharge pathways across all NHS hospital trusts, backed by proper investment in community pharmacy, would help reduce avoidable demand on hospitals and ensure patients can access this vital support wherever they live.”
Mahendra Patel, chair of the Royal College of Pharmacy’s English Pharmacy Advisory Council, also highlighted the value of DMS, but noted: “Referrals from hospitals are not yet as consistent as they should be. To realise the full benefits of the service, such referrals need to be more timely, consistent and widespread, enabling community pharmacists to provide seamless support to every eligible patient.
“Discharge could be better supported by having truly interoperable patient records across hospital, primary care and community pharmacy settings to ensure a safe and efficient discharge process. Timely and accurate access to clinical information is fundamental to safe, coordinated care and will help ensure patients experience a smooth transition from hospital to home.”
Gareth Jones, director of corporate affairs at the National Pharmacy Association said: “The Discharge Medicine Service is hugely valuable in supporting patients safely transition from hospital to community.
“However, if we are to maximise the opportunity to help patients discharge into the community and prevent readmissions, more trusts should engage in the scheme which offers patients the support they need to understand complex medicine regimens.
“There is also evidence it can substantially reduce the chance of hospital readmissions as well reduce the length of a patient’s stay if they are readmitted. Previous NPA analysis modelled savings of over £30 million if the discharge medicines service was expanded to its full potential.
“The current CPCF does not leave adequate funding for the scheme to be scaled up and this must change if DMS is to be fully successful in preventing medicines-related harm and unnecessary admissions for patients and saving money for the wider NHS.”
