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Managing flow is easier than you think. The real challenge is stepping back for a whole-system view
Behind every delayed discharge is a patient waiting to go home, and a family waiting to welcome them. Sadly, corridor care is a visible symptom of a system under pressure. The increasing isolation and frailty of patients who are fit to leave but stuck in hospital is another. Some people even spend their last days in hospital when they should be with their families in the comfort of their own home.
Managing patient flow isn’t inherently complex. It’s about having the right processes in place to keep movement through the system. When those processes work, beds become available, A&E waits shorten and patients transition seamlessly. So why then are 1 in 7 beds “medically fit for discharge” but remain in hospital?
What’s impacting patient flow?
The root cause for poor patient flow is fragmentation. These challenges aren’t the ‘fault’ of one organisation; it’s about how every part of the system works together.
Competing priorities
NHS trusts focus on freeing acute beds while social care prioritises assessments and community support. ICBs commission intermediate care beds. Each works to different targets, making alignment difficult.
Operational inertia
Decision-making is slow, and progress stalls when stakeholders cannot jointly agree on a way forward.
Lack of trust between partners
Organisations often believe they can handle discharge themselves, resisting external support even when performance data shows otherwise.
At Xyla, we have the advantage of seeing the whole picture. That perspective matters. It’s how we have supported the discharge of more than 5,700 patients, within three days of referral in 2025.
By coordinating across NHS trusts, social care and ICBs, we accelerate decisions and unblock delays that keep patients in hospital unnecessarily. Our teams handle the practicalities others struggle with: arranging transport and medication, managing community bed capacity and having the difficult conversations that prevent bottlenecks.
How to address patient flow challenges
Break down silos
Collaboration across NHS trusts, social care and ICBs is essential. The first step is creating a joined-up approach that aligns objectives and removes barriers. Xyla supports this by acting as an independent partner, building trust and accelerating decision-making where competing priorities often slow progress.
Rapidly unblock delays
When medically optimised patients remain in hospital, the system stalls. Coordinating wards, social workers, families and care homes, together with managing logistics like transport and medication can dramatically reduce delays. Xyla’s hospital discharge teams do exactly this, handling difficult conversations and practical arrangements to cut delays from over a month to just a few days.
Make change sustainable
Quick fixes aren’t enough. Our strategic improvement service builds long-term capability so organisations can manage flow effectively after we leave. This starts with mapping the patient journey, then redesigning workflows across NHS, social care and ICBs, and finally aligning priorities to prevent delays from returning. Embedding robust processes and training teams ensures improvements last and reduces reliance on emergency measures.
Maintain momentum with wrap-around support
Additional measures such as rapid patient assessments for care home acceptance, managing community bed capacity and facilitating discharge planning help prevent bottlenecks and keep the system moving. At Xyla, we provide these through services like Trusted Assessor and discharge facilitation.
Why isn’t everyone doing this?
Our approach is well known in the sector and many organisations nationwide already benefit from fewer delays, smoother discharges and better experiences for patients and families. Commissioners and system leaders often want to take this route because they know it works and it aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan’s call for stronger partnerships across health and social care.
So why isn’t it everywhere? It’s not about lack of commitment. It’s about misconceptions that persist around outsourced support:
Funding concerns
Budgets are tight and outsourcing can feel like an added expense, even though delays cost far more than the service itself.
“We can do it ourselves”
Teams work hard but often lack the capacity for rapid response. External support complements, not replaces, existing teams, bringing speed and expertise when it’s needed most.
Cost perception
Xyla’s reputation for quality has sometimes led to the assumption that we’re expensive. In reality, pricing models have evolved and outcome-based approaches ensure value for money without compromising standards.
Control and ownership
Support doesn’t mean losing control. The aim is to align stakeholders and leave behind sustainable processes so organisations retain ownership.
Managing flow is easier than you think when we work together
We care deeply about this because we see the difference every day: patients going home sooner, families feeling reassured and frontline teams finally getting the breathing space they need.
At Xyla, we’re passionate about building partnerships that last. We work alongside NHS organisations and local authorities because we believe in creating solutions that deliver real value not just for the system but for the people at the heart of it.
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