Length of hospital stay and outcome after femoral neck fracture were compared in a prospective study between two adjacent hospitals. In matched populations, mean length of stay was 30.8 days at Hospital X and 15.7 days at Hospital Y. Need for rehousing, age over 80 years and new nursing home placement prolonged length of stay at Hospital X, but not at Hospital Y. Hospital X had an orthopaedic rehabilitation ward and returned 88 per cent of patients to their own home, placing 9 per cent admitted from home in nursing homes. Hospital Y returned 76 per cent of patients to their own home and 19 per cent to nursing homes. The rapid discharge policy of Hospital Y saved significant resources within the acute hospital at the expense of returning significantly fewer patients to their own homes.