Patients ‘languishing in hospital’ as delayed discharge numbers hit nearly 2,000

Scotland’s Health Secretary has been urged to ramp up funding for frontline health and social care services after figures revealed nearly 2,000 people were stuck in hospitals in February despite being ready to leave.

At the February 2025 census, 1,986 people experienced delayed discharge – greater than the levels seen in January (1,969) and December 2024 (1,890).

The statistics from Public Health Scotland also show the median length people were delayed was 23 days in February, up from 22 the month before but fewer than December and November, both at 29 days.

Across the whole of February, the average number of beds occupied per day due to delayed discharge was 1,946, fewer than January (1,964) and December 2024 (1,991).

Patients in hospitals spent 54,487 days waiting to be released when they were ready – higher than the 54,355 days for the previous month.

Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane said promises from the Scottish Government to eradicate the problem have not been met.

He said: “These atrocious figures lay bare the failure of successive SNP health secretaries to meet their pledge to eradicate delayed discharge.

“Shona Robison made that promise a decade ago, yet nearly 2,000 patients were languishing needlessly in hospital beds in February, despite being well enough to leave, because of the SNP’s failure to get to grips with the social care crisis.

“Delayed discharge has a hugely damaging effect on the physical and mental wellbeing of the patients concerned and cripples the NHS by blocking beds needed for critical operations or to treat A&E patients.

“The nationalists’ solution to this crisis was an unaffordable, centralised National Care Service which they were forced to ditch – after squandering £30 million – because everyone recognised it would be a disaster.

“It’s time for Neil Gray to stop squandering money on pointless bureaucracy and surge resources to the frontline to finally tackle delayed discharge.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the SNP had left thousands of patients “stranded” which the party warned would heap more pressure on the nation’s “already unbearably overcrowded” hospitals.

She added: “The SNP’s latest NHS plan barely mentioned the social care crisis, yet without tackling this the reality is more patients will be left in limbo.

“Scottish Labour will free up hospital beds by immediately increasing the number of social care packages so that patients can return home safely.”

The Scottish Liberal Democrats warned the Government that it cannot fix delayed discharge without tackling issues within social care.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the party’s leader, said: “Too many people are stuck in hospital because they can’t get the care they need at home or in the community.

“The SNP don’t seem to understand that you can’t fix the crisis in our NHS if you don’t fix social care.

“They have already wasted four years and £30 million on a bureaucratic power grab of social care that was never going to fix core problems.

“Now that they have ditched it, we need to see a proper investment in staff and services that are so overstretched.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Reducing delayed discharge is a priority for this government and we are investing £200 million this year to clear waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove barriers which often result in unnecessary delays for people.

“Thanks to the efforts of local teams, we have seen a reduction in the number of people delayed in hospital in many areas over the recent months. However, we want to see this happen across the whole of Scotland.

“Fundamental to this is shifting the balance of care from hospitals to community.

“We will expand Hospital at Home to at least 2,000 beds by the end of 2026, meaning more people will receive hospital level care in the comfort of their own home, which will in turn reduce the number of people being delayed in hospital.”