New report reveals mental health patients face discharge delays due to housing shortages, costing the NHS millions and increasing pressure across England.
Mental health patients in England are being forced to remain in hospital despite being ready to be discharged, according to new research.
A report published on Tuesday (28th April) by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Look Ahead and the National Housing Federation found a shortage of supported housing is contributing to delays.
Image: individuals involved in the new report, Breaking the Cycle
The study estimates this led to 121,695 additional hospital bed days in 2024/25, costing services around £102m.
It says supported housing, which costs roughly a third of an inpatient bed, could save the NHS between £53m and £65m annually.
Patients waiting for supported housing accounted for 22% of all delayed discharge delays in mental health inpatient services last year.
Meanwhile, more than 95% of urgent and emergency mental health beds are occupied, significantly above the recommended 85% level.
Dr Jon Van Niekerk, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrist’s General Adult Faculty, said: ‘Across hospital services, many patients are clinically ready for discharge but experience delays due to a lack of appropriate housing and community support options.’
‘At the same time, some individuals leave hospital into accommodation that does not adequately meet their needs, which can increase the risk of relapse and readmission,’ he added. ‘This pattern places additional strain on individuals, families and the wider health and care system.’
To give context, separate research from Homeless Link shows in 2023/24 the charity found 109,029 days were lost to delayed discharges and almost a quarter (24%) of homeless individuals were being discharged from hospital to the streets.
‘Secure and appropriate housing is a fundamental component of effective mental health care,’ Dr Niekerk continued. ‘Greater alignment between health and housing policy is essential to ensure people can leave hospital safely and sustain their recovery in the community.’
Organisations behind the report, which can be read in full here, are calling for more funding and closer integration between housing and mental health services.
Chris Hampson, chief executive at Look Ahead, said: ‘Every year we support hundreds of people with mental health needs to move out of hospital and rebuild their lives in the community. When supported housing is available, people recover faster, avoid relapse and don’t cycle back through inpatient care.
‘But when the right housing and support isn’t there, people are left waiting in hospital beds they no longer need, at huge cost to both individuals and the NHS.’
Salma, 20, who spent six months in hospital before moving into supported accommodation, said it changed their life.
‘If this place wasn’t here when I came out of hospital, I would have likely had to go back to my family’s house if there was nowhere else to go,’ they said. ‘hat would not have been beneficial for me as I would have most likely relapsed.
‘Here, it’s homely, supportive and comforting. I have not been back in hospital since I came here. I’ve 100% come a long way.’
Image credit: Royal College of Psychiatrists, Look Ahead and the National Housing Federation
Since the report was published this morning, it has been praised for bringing attention to such an important matter. Lee Buss-Blair, director of operations at Riverside, said: ‘This research demonstrates how important supported housing is as a backbone for a well-functioning mental health system.
‘It also highlights how the crisis in supported housing creates appalling outcomes for people and costs taxpayers more money when patients are discharged to out of area housing or temporary accommodation (TA) with insufficient support, which can lead to further isolation and challenges at a time when patients are recovering from mental health problems.’
He added: ‘Further analysis shows the number of bedspaces for homeless single people in England has fallen by two-fifths (43%) since 2008.
‘However, despite the steep drop in the bedspaces the number of homeless households living in TA has almost doubled between 2008 and 2025.
‘At a time when our analysis showed councils spent more than £10bn on TA over the past five years, providers of supported housing are also closing their doors due to funding cuts. It is crucial that the government’s Value for Money review resets homelessness funding so less money is spent on poor-quality TA and more money is spent on funding good quality, much-needed, supported housing services.’
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