Hospitals discharge patients to privately staffed “care hotels” as they wait for social care

Hospitals in the south west of England have set up “care hotels” to allow them to discharge patients who no longer need to be in hospital but cannot yet be transferred into the social care system.

The hotels are staffed by live-in care workers provided by private homecare companies, and patients can expect to stay in the accommodation for around three weeks, although some stay longer.

The services have been introduced in the face of intense pressure, with the NHS trying to cope with the …