Mental health wards reduce average inpatient stay by 12 days

A London NHS mental health trust has reduced the average length of inpatient stays by 26% following work to address delays and improve discharge planning.

The programme involved nine adult mental health wards operated by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. Across the participating services, average stays fell from approximately 46 days to 34 days.

Ward teams began discharge planning earlier and strengthened communication between inpatient and community services. Patients and carers were also involved in shaping the changes, helping staff understand the practical difficulties people experience when leaving hospital.

The trust monitored whether shorter stays led to more patients returning within 30 days. It found no overall increase in readmissions, while one participating service recorded a 15% reduction.

Better use of inpatient beds also meant the trust avoided placing patients outside its area during the programme, allowing more people to remain near their families and local support networks. The reduction in occupied bed days produced an estimated resource benefit of £4.5 million, although the trust stressed this was not a direct cash saving because many hospital costs remain fixed.

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