The rate of delayed discharge in Dumfries and Galloway has hit its highest level since the summer.
New figures show that in November, an average of 92 people were in the region’s hospitals as a result of delayed discharge – which is when when someone is in hospital despite being deemed medically well enough to leave, often because the correct care package isn’t in place.
That was 11 more than the previous month and the highest figure since June, when the daily average stood at 99.
The Public Health Scotland figures also show 2,758 bed days were lost to the problem – also known as bed blocking – during November, the highest monthly figure since 2,831 in July.
The October total of 2,511, as well as the average daily figure, were both the lowest since the summer of 2022.
The number of bed days lost across Scotland in November was 60,696 – an improvement on the October figure of 62,914.
The daily average also dropped from 2,029 to 2,023.