An MSP claims delayed discharge from Dumfries and Galloway’s hospitals has cost more than £54million across the last decade.
Nearly 200,000 bed days have been lost to the issue across NHS Dumfries and Galloway since 2015.
And South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth says this has cost the health board an eye watering £54,213,700.70.
Mr Smyth said: “Local services are stretched to breaking point but NHS Dumfries and Galloway has had to pour £54,213,700.70 down the drain because of the Scottish Government’s failure to tackle delayed discharge.
“The SNP has had 17 years to fix our broken social care system but instead they have wasted a further £30million on a failed National Care Service Bill that did not pay for a single extra carer.
“While some patients are trapped in hospital despite being ready to leave, others are languishing in corridors because there aren’t enough beds.
“The UK Labour Budget delivered a record settlement to Scotland – now the SNP must ensure that every penny is spent wisely so services in Dumfries and Galloway can run smoothly again.”
Delayed discharge – also known as bed blocking – is when a patient is medically well enough to leave but can’t, often because they need a support package to be put in place to allow them to return home.
Figures obtained through a Scottish Labour freedom of information request claim that between March 2015 and October 2024, 193,369 bed days were lost across Dumfries and Galloway.
In 2015, Scotland’s then-Health Secretary Shona Robison pledged to “eradicate” delayed discharge.
Public Health Scotland estimated in 2019/20 the daily cost was £262 and, based on a real terms calculator, Mr Smyth estimates the total cost in Dumfries and Galloway over the past decade to be £54,213,700.70.
The latest available figures show that in October 2024, an average of 81 people were in the region’s hospital as a result of delayed discharge – the lowest figure since May 2022. A total of 2,511 bed days were lost that month – the lowest since June 2022.
Scotland’s Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Most people are able to leave hospital with no delays – currently more than 96 per cent of all hospital discharges happen without delay – but reducing delayed discharges further is a priority for the Scottish Government.
“Our budget for 2025-26 will invest £200million to reduce waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove barriers which keep some patients in hospital longer than necessary.
“We also want to expand Hospital at Home to treat 150,000 more patients, deliver additional support for GPs and invest in new hospitals at Belford and Monklands. Our budget will unlock investment to drive long-term and lasting improvements – and the healthier population that we all want to see.
“The NHS needs parliament to unite behind this budget.”