Dr. Tony O'Connell:

The incentive is knowing that it is clinically better for the patient because the shorter the stay in hospital, the lower the chance of encountering the side effects of being in hospital. Patients often request that they be allowed to go home that night because they do not want to stay in hospital overnight. It is a more efficient system for the hospital and if the consultant is altruistic, he or she will be very interested in the overall efficiency in the running of the hospital and its ability to stay within budget. The Deputy implied that there are incentives which work in the opposite direction.