29/01/2026
Half a million bed days are being spent keeping people living with dementia in hospital unnecessarily.
In one year, around 29,000 people with dementia who were fit to be discharged were kept in hospital for at least a week longer than necessary. While our insights released today don’t include the reasons for delays, these can include poor planning and lack of available dementia-appropriate follow-on support.
It can have a negative impact on the people being kept in hospital.
Staying in hospital unnecessarily increases a person’s risk of complications. Delays can be especially damaging for people living with dementia, who are more likely to struggle with the unfamiliar and often distressing hospital ward environment.
Risks include infections, falls, worsening cognitive function, poor mental health, malnutrition and dehydration.
Tackling dementia care and support would make a huge difference to the NHS’s ability to cope with winter pressures. Early diagnosis and access to appropriate services can help to prevent hospital visits in the first place, while better care and support would also mean those in hospital could leave when they're well enough.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer and the greatest challenge facing health and social care services. The government must rise to the magnitude of the challenge, improving care to keep people healthier for longer and reduce the devastation caused by dementia.
