Delayed discharges: How a hospital can grind to a halt

Patients who are well enough to leave hospital are sometimes unable to because of a lack of support being available in the community.

This phenomenon, known as delayed discharge, can have serious repercussions for hospitals, leading to longer waits in A&Es and delays for ambulances waiting to handover patients.

The result is that the smooth running of a hospital breaks down.

Nick Triggle reports.