Vital NHS funding is not reaching the frontline in time to prevent a winter meltdown because of political “chaos”, health leaders have warned.
While the Tories have gone through three Prime Ministers in less than four months, the NHS and local authorities have not seen a penny of a vital winter rescue fund.
A month ago, the Government announced a £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund but it is still held up in ministerial departments with no detail on how it will be allocated.
Peak demand for emergency services is not typically seen until January, but the NHS is already “running hot”.
Average hospital bed occupancy is at 97 per cent, and there are a fifth more ‘Cat 1’ 999 callouts than at the same time of year pre-pandemic.
More than 13,000 of the 100,000 NHS hospital beds in England currently contain “delayed discharge” patients - mainly due to a lack of social care to help people in the community.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Currently only two-fifths of patients in hospital are able to leave when they are ready to do so. Yet health leaders still do not know how and when the £500million winter rescue funding will be released to the system. So close to winter, this is unbelievable.
“Leaders across the NHS and local authorities are yet to see a single penny of this investment or any official detail on how it will be allocated.
“We have a new Prime Minister who health leaders hope will bring stability to the government and unblock the policy paralysis that has consumed Whitehall. Vital public services and the communities they serve are currently paying the price of this political chaos.
“ Hospitals beds are occupied by patients who should not be there, leading to waits in emergency departments worsening, more ambulances queuing up outside of hospitals, elective procedures having to be cancelled and primary care getting more overwhelmed by people’s health deteriorating in the community.”
A&E trolley waits of more than 12 hours are at a record high last month and the operational standard to see all 95 per cent of patients within four hours has not been met since 2015.
Emergency callout times are also seeing record delays with heart attack and stroke patients now waiting almost triple the maximum target of 18 minutes.
Such delays are linked to ambulances stuck outside packed A&Es unable to unload patients.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “This £500 million fund will support discharge from hospital into the community, and can be used flexibly by local health and care systems to target areas facing the greatest challenge.
“Local authorities will work with providers to determine how best to use the funding. We are working to finalise details on distribution and these will be announced as soon as possible.”
