Record numbers of Scots are stuck in hospital while well enough to leave. Figures released by Public Health Scotland today show an average of 2,000 people were stuck in hospital every day who could have left had there been a place in a care home for them or a care package in place to allow them to live independently.
At the August census, 2,009 patients’ discharges had been delayed, with an average delay length of four weeks. The figure is the highest since guidelines were amended in 2016.
In 2015, the Scottish Government vowed to eradicate delayed discharge within a year. In total, 62,003 bed days were lost because of the delays meaning waiting times for non-emergency procedures would increase.
Part of the reason for the delay could be down to the massive 18 per cent drop in the number of care homes since 2014. Figures from the PHS’ Care Home Census show there are now only 1,020 care homes in Scotland with 40,079 registered places – more than 2,400 fewer than 10 years ago.
Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said the NHS was “creaking under the weight of SNP failure”. She pointed out that the number of planned operations slumped by 6.5 per cent compared to the previous year and the number of patients waiting more than four hours in A&E rose to 40,794.
Baillie said: “These figures show the NHS is creaking under the weight of SNP failure even before it enters the turbulent winter months. Patients who have been treated want nothing more than to return home, but instead they are stuck in limbo in hospital beds while the corridors of A&E fill up with desperate people waiting to be admitted.
“After 17 years of twiddling its thumbs, the SNP is unprepared for this winter – it must tackle delayed discharge head on before hospital corridors resemble crammed commuter trains.”
Baillie also warned that social care is “at breaking point”, as the fall in care home places was revealed. She said that this drop in capacity is not being adequately replaced with community services.
A report published last week revealed that more than 9,300 Scots are currently waiting on a social care assessment or care package to allow them to live independently at home or in the community. And it comes as opposition grows to the SNP’s National Care Service Bill, which has faced criticism from trade unions, Cosla, care providers and NHS chiefs.
Baillie said “Social care in Scotland is at breaking point, but the SNP is wasting time, energy and money pursuing its doomed vanity project. Care homes are collapsing but community services aren’t equipped to fill the gap, leaving thousands of Scots stuck in limbo waiting for care.
“Social care workers and people who rely on care services are suffering as a result of this crisis but they have been forgotten in the SNP’s plans. The SNP must stop burying its head in the sand and listen to the experts warning that they are on the wrong track. More bureaucracy and centralisation won’t improve the care Scots receive.”
Lib-Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP also blamed the Scottish Government. He said: “Scotland’s care services are in crisis and the fault lies squarely at the door of this SNP Government. Being stuck in hospital unnecessarily fails patients, contributes to record-breaking waits in A&E and leads to dangerous ambulance delays.
“It couldn’t be clearer that the SNP’s planned ministerial takeover of social care, that doesn’t have the support of unions or council leaders, should be scrapped immediately. Scottish Liberal Democrats believe the money earmarked for this billion-pound bureaucracy should be spent on frontline services and staff struggling right now.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray said:“We have agreed a collaborative approach with COSLA to reducing delayed discharges as a top priority. The health and social care system continues to face pressure due to a number of factors, including availability of workforce, and suitable care placements.
“Behind every delay is a person who will not sleep in their own bed tonight despite being clinically fit to leave hospital.Although there have been reductions in the number of delays within many local authority areas over recent months, these have not been replicated in every health and social care partnership. So we are still seeing an unacceptable level of variation.”
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