Delayed discharge patients fell slightly in June

The number of delayed discharge patients in Scottish hospitals fell very slightly in June, though the average length of waits increased.

Figures for delayed discharge – also known as bed blocking – at the June 2023 census point showed 1,738 people were delayed.

This is down by 10 patients from May’s figures of 1,748.

Public Health Scotland’s monthly report noted the figures have been declining from a peak of 1,977 in November 2022.

In June, the average length of delay was 27 days, up by four days from May.

There were 51,905 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed in June.

This represented an increase of 3% compared with the number of delayed days in June 2022.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “These figures highlight yet again the devastating impact of the SNP Government’s failure to eradicate delayed discharge – eight years after they promised to do so.

“It’s immensely damaging to the mental wellbeing of patients when they are trapped in hospitals simply because there is no care package in place that would allow them to leave.

“Just last week, figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives revealed that some mental health patients were unnecessarily stuck in hospital for years – in one case almost a decade.

“This is completely intolerable and must be addressed immediately by the Health Secretary.”