New data released by the NHS on Tuesday 21 October, 2025 has revealed that taxpayers in the UK have lost more than £23 million due to delayed hospital discharges caused by a lack of availability in care homes and home care services.
This is the first official estimate of the cost of delayed discharges and it has been found that the average cost for a bed day in the NHS is £562. This figure provides the most accurate findings to date on the impact of a lack of social care capacity.
According to the data, more than 1,000 patients were stuck in hospital for 14 days or more last month as they waited for a care package, care home, or home care provider to become available. This accounts for over 10% of the total of £219 million lost in delayed discharges for all reasons.
Elder Founder and CEO Pete Dowds has stated that his home care technology has already helped more than 1,000 individuals move from hospital to their homes, with 973 of those being discharged within 72 hours. With a pool of over 5,000 vetted carers, Elder’s care recipient to carer matching technology has facilitated over 100,000 matches across the UK and could effectively reduce the backlog of patients waiting in hospitals for live-in care.
Dowds stressed the importance of recognising the role of agile, technology-enabled home care in freeing up critical hospital bed capacity. He stated, “In its 10 Year Health Plan for England, the NHS acknowledges it is ‘behind the technological curve’, yet in ten years it wants to be ‘the most AI-enabled health system in the world’. Our proprietary, AI-powered technology is not a proposed solution, it’s a proven one.”
He further explained that Elder’s technology has been refined over ten years and is backed by industry-leading engineering, data science, care advisor, clinical, and customer support teams. This technology and the care provided by Elder’s carers can prevent unnecessary taxpayer spend and most importantly, help patients stuck in hospital return home sooner.
One satisfied customer, Ian Boulden, contacted Elder in October to help get his father George from hospital to his home in Warwickshire as soon as possible. His father had developed an infection post hip surgery and it was clear that he would recover better at home. Boulden shared, “It (Elder) was a very simple and speedy process, with initial contact on a Thursday and the career starting on the Sunday. My father was very happy with the care that he received from the carer over the four week period.”
Care England CEO Professor Martin Green OBE has previously stated that hospital discharge delays are not a capacity issue but rather a planning, funding, and coordination issue. He pointed out that care homes across England have been reporting vacancies, yet the system is unable to utilize this capacity effectively.
To arrange an interview and/or photo opportunity with Pete Dowds, or for further information, contact Mark Acheson on +447435332204 or macheson@elder.org. Images are available to download and use on the Elder website.
Elder’s technology is designed to help individuals get out of the hospital and back home safely and quickly. Their technology offers intelligent and rapid matching using AI to pair individuals with self-employed carers based on their specific care needs, lifestyle factors, and even personality traits, hobbies, and interests. This streamlines the often lengthy social care assessment process.
Elder also has immediate capacity, as they have over 5,000 carers on their platform across England, Wales, and Scotland. They are able to arrange care within days, rather than weeks, and in some cases, they have helped individuals find care within 24 hours. Families can feel at ease knowing that they can speak with potential carers and read reviews from other families before making a decision. Elder boasts a 90% success rate in finding the perfect carer for their clients on the first try.
Safety is a top priority for Elder, which is why all carers on their platform undergo a rigorous screening process, including a background check, character and skills assessment, and verifiable professional references. Only 2% of applicants are successful in becoming an Elder carer.
Elder also provides support for families, with a dedicated clinical team, family support specialist, and customer service team available seven days a week.
Elder is an award-winning home care platform that has been in operation for ten years. They match older adults with self-employed carers for flexible and personalized live-in care across the UK. Elder is committed to enhancing patient dignity and providing families with peace of mind, believing that home is the best place to age. To date, they have helped deliver over 15 million hours of home care across the UK.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.