This research was published as part of our 2026 Senedd election campaign.
CHC analysis has shown while overall NHS discharge delays are showing signs of improvement, housing-related delays are moving in the wrong direction.
Since April 2023, the average delay for most patients has fallen from 50 to 45 days. For those waiting due to housing, it has climbed from 63 to 76 days.
Although housing issues affect around 5 in every 100 patients awaiting discharge, those individuals account for more than 8 in every 100 lost bed days.
For the people caught in this situation, a hospital bed is no substitute for a home: separated from family, unable to rebuild routine, and with independence slipping further from reach.
Key findings from CHC’s research
Housing-related delays cost the NHS £31,500 a night, or cumulatively £2.49 million a year
Housing-related delays impact 5 in 100 patients, resulting in 4,981 cumulative delayed days.
Supply and adaptations need to ramp up to meet demand