Hospitals will face financial penalties if patients are readmitted as an emergency within 30 days of being discharged, under government plans being announced today.
Hospitals will get paid for initial treatment but will not be paid again if a patient is brought back in with a related problem, health secretary Andrew Lansley will say.
It has been argued that some patients are discharged too soon and without proper care plans in place.
The Conservatives have also said cuts to the number of hospital beds under Labour put pressure on NHS staff to discharge people without support.
Between 1998-99 and 2007-08, the number of emergency readmissions in England rose 52% from 359,719 to 546,354.
Speaking about his vision for the NHS, Lansley will call for patients to be given more control over their health.
Read more at HSJ.
Tags: Re-admissions
