The number of days spent in hospital by patients who were well enough to leave reached a record high last year – with doctors warning levels of delayed discharge are “deeply concerning”.
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) said the rise “must act as an urgent wake-up call for the Scottish Government”, with ministers urged to “redouble” efforts to tackle the problem.
Professor Andrew Elder, president of the RCPE, was speaking after data showed that in the year ending March 31 2024, there were 666,190 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed.
Public Health Scotland, which published the figures, noted: “These delays represent an average 1,820 daily hospital beds used by people delayed in their discharge.”
It said the total of 666,190 was the “highest annual figure reported since the current guidance came into place in July 2016”, and compared to 542,204 in 2019-20 just before the pandemic.
Prof Elder said delayed discharges are “detrimental to the welfare of patients and their families”, adding the flow of patients within hospitals is being “severely impacted” by them.
He said doctors are as a result “struggling to move patients from A&E to in-patient acute wards”.
He added: “To tackle these high levels of delayed discharge, we need to invest in the entire care sector and social care workforce more than has been the case.”
He said there is a need to “attract more people to work in social care, and provide better support for the many family and friends who act as informal carers in the community”.
Action is needed on delayed discharges; often caused by a lack of social care or rehabilitation capacity in the community. Read more in our #GE2024 health priorities https://t.co/GqyCLojxEk pic.twitter.com/1P0o7qBUJ4
— RCPEdin (@RCPEdin) June 24, 2024
The RCPE has already called on the UK Government to “reverse policies which deter overseas care workers from coming to the UK”, Prof Elder said, but he also claimed the Scottish Government’s proposed national care service is “unlikely to deliver the level of change required”.
A Scottish Government spokesman stressed work is under way with health and social care partnerships to reduce discharge delays.
But opposition parties claimed the SNP administration is “not up to the task”.
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “Every day spent in hospital unnecessarily prevents people from getting the care they need, wastes public money and puts lives at risk.
“Despite a succession of SNP health secretaries pledging to tackle delayed discharge as long ago as 2015, today’s damning figures show that this tired, distracted SNP Government is not up to the task.
“SNP failure and mismanagement of social care is having serious consequences in Scotland’s hospitals, putting staff and patients at risk.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “It is a damning indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of our health service that in the last year people whose discharge was delayed spent a total of 666,190 days in hospital – the highest figure since the guidance came into place in 2016.
“This has a domino effect for patients and staff in other areas of our already struggling health service, including planned operations being cancelled and even longer delays at A&E.”
Dr Gulhane challenged First Minister John Swinney to act, saying: “Rather than banging on about independence, he should prioritise our flatlining NHS.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton claimed with care services “in crisis”, there are “more people than ever stuck in hospital unnecessarily”.
He said the situation is “worsening their health, contributing to record-breaking waits in A&E and leading to dangerous ambulance delays”.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “The SNP said they would end this scandal but it’s now the worst it has ever been. They can’t get the basics right, are totally out of ideas and have got to go.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work with health and social care partnerships to reduce delays in people leaving hospital.
“The health and social care system continues to face pressure due to a number of factors, including availability of workforce, and suitable care placements.
“We have put in place the delayed discharge and hospital occupancy action plan to create the necessary capacity to deal with emerging pressures.
“We will continue to work with partners across all local authority areas to ensure a collaborative response in addressing the levels of delays and pressures being faced across local systems.”