Hundreds of NHS hospital beds are set to be freed up through the launch of a new platform, saving millions of pounds.
ilarna, a home support service for the care industry, will be rolled out in five NHS Trusts in Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, North West Anglia, Northampton and Shropshire.
The London-based platform finds appropriate homecare for patients to free up space in hospitals and reduce the amount of time patients spend on the ward.
In data analysed by The Health Foundation, the percentage of bed days used by patients whose discharge was delayed rose from 10.1 per cent in 2024 to 11 per cent in 2025, marking an increase of 19,000 bed days.
According to the company, the service will save each NHS Trust an average of £50,000 per month.
Delayed discharges cost the NHS in England about £200 million a month, or about £2 billion a year, the Health Service Journal estimated in October last year.
ilarna places clinical discharge coordinators directly on hospital sites to pair medically-fit patients with an at-home carer, dubbed an ilarna Personal Assistant, often within 24 to 48 hours.
Personal assistants will manage care for patients at home, logging visits through the platform, and creating insight reports for families. The company said each assistant will be able to spend at least an hour with patients at home per visit, improving the quality of care.
Families are also able to choose their own personal assistant.
The service is also set to improve conditions in the social care sector, as self-employed personal assistants will set their own rates, with an average of £18 an hour. ilarna said improved flexibility and pay will encourage more people to join the care workforce.
Historically, the UK care sector has faced challenges of low pay, high vacancy rates and overall workforce shortages.
Buckinghamshire Health Trust was the first trust to partner with ilarna and has worked with the platform for 15 months. More than 1,300 hospital bed days have been released, reducing bed shortages and helping patients to return home.
Carolyn Barnes, 54, has used ilarna as an alternative to care-home placement for her 91-year-old father John, who suffers with dementia and poor mobility.
She explained that the service paired them with Clarie, a personal assistant who has been “nothing short of a miracle” and has been able to support the family throughout John’s turbulent health.
Alex Moran, Chief Executive Officer of ilarna, said: “Every day we see people who are medically fit to leave hospital but unable to do so because the right support isn’t available when they need it.
“By helping people quickly connect with trusted support at home, we enable patients to recover where they want to be, while also reducing delays and supporting the NHS to focus its resources where they are needed most.”
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