Digital Discharge: The Productivity Opportunity the NHS Cannot Afford to Ignore

Pam Penn, Partnerships Director - WM5G   When you ask Pam Penn about delayed discharge, she doesn't immediately talk about technology. Nor does she begin with funding. Instead, she talks about capacity. "Everyone is asking how we meet growing demand across the NHS and social care," she says. "But one of the biggest opportunities is hiding in plain sight. Every day, hospital beds are occupied by people who are medically fit to leave but cannot because the support around them is not yet in place. That isn't simply a discharge issue. It's a productivity issue." The scale of the challenge is significant. In early 2025, more than 13,800 hospital beds were occupied by people ready to leave hospital, equivalent to 1.77 million lost bed days. Nearly 15% of those delays were considered avoidable. At a time when the NHS continues to face pressure on waiting lists, urgent and emergency care and workforce capacity, Pam believes the conversation needs to move beyond simply adding more resource...