BOYACK: ‘Delayed discharge is piling pressure on our hospitals’
Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has warned that delayed discharge in Lothian is “piling pressure on hospitals” as a new report reveals the issue cost NHS Lothian more that £28million in 2022/23.
Delayed discharge figures monitor the number of days patients spend in hospital despite being fit to leave, typically because of a lack of social care services in their area.
Over the course of the year, a total of 97,118 bed days in NHS Lothian were lost to delayed discharge, as rates across Scotland hit a record high.
This includes 70,208 bed days in the City of Edinburgh.
Analysis by Scottish Labour has revealed that the approximate cost of delayed discharge to NHS Lothian in 2022/23 was an eye-watering £28,368,168.
Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “Delayed discharge in Edinburgh is piling pressure on our hospitals and threatening patients’ recovery.
“Our NHS is at breaking point and every penny matters, and it is a scandal that NHS Lothian has been forced to foot a £28million bill for SNP incompetence.
“Social care in Edinburgh and the Lothian is crying out for help, but the SNP’s botched National Care Service plans will do nothing but centralise local services.
“It is high time for the Scottish Government to step up and provide unwavering support for our social care services and increase pay for the sector’s dedicated workers, so no-one is left languishing in hospital waiting for a care package.”
Delayed discharge 2022/23 – Health Board
| Delayed discharge bed days (age 18+) | Estimated cost | |
| Scotland | 661,705 | £193,284,031 |
| NHS Ayrshire & Arran | 70,677 | £20,644,752 |
| NHS Borders | 23,079 | £6,741,376 |
| NHS Dumfries & Galloway | 35,692 | £10,425,633 |
| NHS Fife | 40,379 | £11,794,706 |
| NHS Forth Valley | 41,946 | £12,252,427 |
| NHS Grampian | 40,413 | £11,804,637 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde | 132,862 | £38,808,990 |
| NHS Highland | 50,566 | £14,770,329 |
| NHS Lanarkshire | 67,388 | £19,684,035 |
| NHS Lothian | 97,118 | £28,368,168 |
| NHS Orkney | 2,312 | £675,335 |
| NHS Shetland | 2,054 | £599,973 |
| NHS Tayside | 52,316 | £15,281,504 |
| NHS Western Isles | 4,903 | £1,432,166 |
Delayed discharge 2022/23 – Local Authority
| Delayed discharge bed days (age 18+) | |
| Scotland | 661,705 |
| Aberdeen City | 8,945 |
| Aberdeenshire | 16,832 |
| Angus | 6,407 |
| Argyll & Bute | 11,944 |
| City of Edinburgh | 70,208 |
| Clackmannanshire | 4,983 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 5,185 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 35,511 |
| Dundee City | 20,286 |
| East Ayrshire | 9,943 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 7,607 |
| East Lothian | 3,251 |
| East Renfrewshire | 4,652 |
| Falkirk | 25,500 |
| Fife | 43,363 |
| Glasgow City | 74,875 |
| Highland | 44,897 |
| Inverclyde | 5,241 |
| Midlothian | 9,377 |
| Moray | 14,123 |
| North Ayrshire | 22,316 |
| North Lanarkshire | 37,801 |
| Orkney | 2,427 |
| Perth & Kinross | 23,700 |
| Renfrewshire | 7,006 |
| Scottish Borders | 23,406 |
| Shetland | 2,142 |
| South Ayrshire | 40,432 |
| South Lanarkshire | 41,970 |
| Stirling | 9,803 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 13,905 |
| West Lothian | 13,102 |
Cost per bed day is estimated at £292.10 by adjusting the most recent estimated cost for inflation using the SPICe real terms calculator.
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