The NHF report called on the government to integrate health and housing in its upcoming national housing strategy and NHS 10-year plan, and said integrated care boards (which manage NHS budgets in local areas) and housing providers should work together more.
Analysis from the National Housing Federation (NHF) found that in 2023-24 there were 109,029 days of delayed discharge because mental health patients were waiting for supported housing, and the number of people stuck in hospital as a result of housing-related issues had more than tripled since 2021.
Mental health patients with nowhere to go cost NHS £71m in England, report finds Accommodation shortages caused 109,000 days of delayed discharge in 2023-24, says National Housing Federation.
A lack of supported housing was the biggest reason for delayed discharges from mental health hospitals in England last year, costing the NHS about £71m, according to a report.
There are about half a million supported homes across England, but numbers are falling, and an NHF survey found that one in three (32%) supported housing providers in England have had to close schemes in the past year owing to financial pressures.
