According to a new media report, the NHS trusts in England discharged patients overnight in order to free up beds.

The report by the Times newspaper, which collected the information through Freedom of Information requests, said that HS trusts discharged 239,233 patients in the previous year between 23:00 and 06:00.

The media outlet had tried to contact 170 NHS trusts in England and received responses from only 100 NHS trusts.

NHS Medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh has expressed that patients should only be discharged at an appropriate time when it is safe for them to go home. It was also found that the rate of those discharged was different between different hospitals.

The report also pointed out that about 3.5 per cent of all hospital discharges took place over night and the rate has remained stable for the last five years. According to estimates, including the trusts that did not respond to the journalists, about 400,000 people were discharged during the year.

According to the report, the Derby Hospitals Foundation Trust sent home 8.7 per cent of its patients over night. The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham and Countess of Chester and University Hospitals of Leicester trusts were the other unit that had rates of above 7 per cent.

Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust and Southend University Hospital Foundation Trust said that they did not discharge any patients during the night.