What was claimed
In the last four years the number of patients whose transfer from hospital was delayed due to problems with social care has increased by one third.
Our verdict
That is correct for 2011/12 to 2015/16.
Social care and delayed transfers from hospital
23 November 2016
“In the last four years the number of patients unable to be transferred from hospital due to a lack of adequate social care increased by one third.”
Jeremy Corbyn, 23 November 2016
Mr Corbyn’s office told us that he was referring to the difference between the number of patients experiencing a delayed transfer from hospital because of problems with social care between 2011/12 and 2015/16.
In that time the proportion of delayed transfers in England increased by around 33% or one third.
These figures are a snapshot taken on the last Thursday of each month rather than the total number of patients delayed.
The most common reason for these patients being delayed due to social care in September 2016, the most recent month we have data for, was because they were waiting for a care package in their own home.
Over the same time the number of patients delayed because of problems relating to the NHS also increased, by 28%. More patients generally are delayed because of NHS problems than because of social care.
Those patients delayed by both NHS issues and social care increased by 23%.
We’ve written more about these delayed transfers from hospital and how much it costs NHS England here.