The proposed system of fining local authorities for delayed discharges could result in older people being placed in homes they do not want to be in, the Independent Healthcare Association (IHA) warned last week.

The association said that patients coming out of hospital might lose the right to choose as "social services will be under pressure to place them somewhere, even if it is not of the individual's choosing".

The IHA said that many providers still believed that health and social services were reluctant to work with them. It suggested that NHS and social care staff should be provided with an up-to-date list of independent care providers in their area, and that primary care trusts and social services should be required to involve private providers in service planning.