Hospitals in Hammersmith and Fulham are struggling to meet discharge targets, particularly concerning emergency admissions for individuals aged 65 and over, due to winter pressures. The Better Care Fund Quarter 3 report for 2025-2026, presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board, revealed that while discharge delays for adult patients are on track, emergency admissions for this demographic are not meeting their targets. This shortfall has been attributed to the impact of winter conditions and flu outbreaks.
The report states that Emergency admissions have not met its target
for those aged 65 and over, with the specific metrics for this target being Emergency admissions to hospital for people aged 65+ per 100,000 population.
While the exact rate and how far off the target they are are not explicitly quantified, it is clear that this area is not meeting expectations. In contrast, Discharge delays (adult patients discharged from acute hospitals on their discharge ready date) – is on track to meet target.
The average number of days from the discharge ready date to actual discharge for all adult acute patients is also being monitored.
A range of wider system initiatives are in place to help reduce avoidable admissions. These include digital front-door pathways, 111 assessments, and Same Day Emergency Care services. The report indicates that these initiatives are helping reduce avoidable admissions,
though specific metrics on their effectiveness to date are not provided. The rollout of Integrated Care Coordination hubs, expanded Urgent Community Response (UCR) capacity, and frailty virtual wards are also supporting community-based responses and aiming to prevent unnecessary hospital conveyances.
Additional programmes such as enhanced community support, neuro-navigation, and the Pharmacy First scheme are also contributing to de-escalating care needs and facilitating timely discharges. The report notes that these programmes are also helping de-escalate care needs and facilitate timely discharges,
but the anticipated impact on discharge rates and hospital capacity in the coming months is not quantified.
The full Better Care Fund Quarter 3 report for 2025-2026 can be found here. Further details on the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting can be found in the public reports pack.
