Tag: May data

RCEM: ‘Evidence to address delayed discharges continues to mount’

The issue of people who are well enough to leave being stranded in hospital wards and occupying increasingly scarce inpatient beds must be addressed if Emergency Care in Scotland is to improve.  

That’s the response of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland as new data reveals that May 2025 was the second worst May on record for so called ‘delayed discharges’. 

Published today (1 July 2025) the figures from Public Health Scotland, which detail A&E performance, show a daily average of 1,852 beds were occupied by people who were considered to no longer need inpatient care – the second highest for any May since guideline changes in 2016.  

And when compared to the previous month (April 2025) – it’s an improvement of just two beds.  

If patients cannot be discharged, this affects the flow of people through the hospital – and people end up stranded in A&E, often waiting extreme hours on a trolley in a corridor, for a ward bed to become available.  

 Covering May 2025, the figures reveal that: 

  • 125,779 people visited a major A&E Department (Type 1) in Scotland. A 6.7% increase compared to April.  
  • Of these, one in three patients (40,261) waited four hours or more to be treated, admitted or discharged (32%).  
  • Meanwhile, just fewer than one in 10 patients (12,672) waited eight hours or more in major EDs – the second highest number for the month of May.  
  • And 4,863 patients waited 12 hours or more – the equivalent to one in every 26 patients. Which is a slight improvement on the previous month when 5,139 patients endured this wait.  

The figures come just a week after  Public Health Scotland released data revealing there were 720,119 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed during the year 2024/5 – the highest annual figure reported since guidelines changed in 2016.  

Of the total number of delayed discharge bed days, 73% were due to health and social care and patient and family related reasons (522,599).  

 

Vice President of RCEM Scotland, Dr Fiona Hunter, said: “Yet again, the evidence to address delayed discharges continues to mount. 

“As I’ve said before, and I will say it again, the situation at our hospitals’ ‘backdoor’, where we unable to discharge people, is deeply concerning and distressing for both patients and the workforce.  

“Patients when they are well enough to leave want to do just that – leave, to continue their recovery. But often they can’t because of a lack of social care. 

“Meanwhile in A&E, seriously unwell people are left waiting for that elusive ward bed to become available, watching the clock tick by and counting the hours they have spent on a trolley in a corridor.  

“This is the reality for thousands of patients every month, while Emergency Medicine clinicians try their best to treat patients in areas that weren’t designed to deliver care in. And it’s not just an issue confined to the winter months – it’s year-round.  

“So it is hard to celebrate slight improvements in extreme waiting times when every day my colleagues are struggling to admit vulnerable patients that need further care. 

“Until available inpatient bed numbers increase the crisis in our EDs will continue.” 

Graphic visualisations of the data compiled by RCEM can be found here.  

Royal Bank of Scotland’s Report on Jobs reveals hiring activity slowdown

Hiring activity slows notably amid steep decline in staff availability 

  • Slowest increase in permanent placements since February 2021 
  • Temp billings growth falls to four-month low 
  • Permanent candidate availability contracts at record rate 

May data signalled a further increase in recruitment activity across Scotland, according to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs survey.

However, the rate of expansion slowed noticeably on the month, with permanent placements and temp billings rising at the weakest rates in 15 and four months, respectively.

This coincided with a further rapid decline in candidate availability, with permanent staff supply falling at an unprecedented pace in May, while vacancies continued to rise strongly. As a result, wage pressures remained intense. 

Permanent placement growth slips to 15-month low in May 

The number of permanent staff appointments across Scotland rose for the seventeenth successive month in May. Anecdotal evidence indicated that increased client activity and improved market conditions resulted in higher permanent placements. Though sharp and comfortably above the series average, the rate of growth eased for the second month running to the weakest since February 2021.  

Moreover, the latest upturn in permanent staff appointments across Scotland was slower than that seen at the UK level for the first time in five months.  

Scottish recruiters noted a marked rise in temp billings during May, thereby extending the current sequence of growth to 21 months. Recruiters often attributed the latest increase to strengthening client demand and the resumption of projects previously on hold due to the pandemic. However, the respective seasonally adjusted index declined from a seven-month high in April, to signal the slowest upturn in four months. The expansion was also softer than the UK average. 

Record contraction in permanent staff availability 

As has been the case since February 2021, permanent staff availability decreased across Scotland during May. Furthermore, the rate of reduction was the fastest on record and rapid. Panellists blamed skill shortages and a competitive labour market for the latest downturn.  

Permanent candidate numbers declined at a quicker rate in Scotland than that seen across the UK as a whole.  

Latest data signalled a sustained fall in temp candidate availability across Scotland in May. Moreover, the pace of contraction quickened for the second month running to the fastest since August 2021. Recruiters stated that robust demand for staff, workforce shrinkage (particularly a drop in European workers), and skills shortages had all reduced temp staff availability.  

The rate of decline across Scotland outpaced the UK-wide average, which in contrast eased slightly during May.  

Starting salary inflation eases to seven-month low 

Starting salaries for permanent joiners in Scotland rose for the eighteenth consecutive month in May. The pace of wage inflation eased to the slowest since October 2021 but remained steep and historically elevated. Recruiters often mentioned that a tight labour market and increased competition for staff had driven up starting pay.  

Average hourly pay rates for short-term staff across Scotland rose during May. The latest upturn extended the current run of temp wage inflation that has been observed since December 2020. According to panellists, some staff had negotiated higher pay due to the increased cost of living. Though the rate of inflation accelerated slightly since April, it was nonetheless the second softest in ten months. 

Softest rise in permanent vacancies for three months 

Scottish recruiters noted a further rise in permanent vacancies during May. The pace of growth softened to a three-month low but remained robust overall and was quicker than the UK-wide average.  

Across the monitored sectors, IT & Computing saw the fastest rise in permanent vacancies, followed by Accounts & Financials. However, the rate of increase for both eased from the preceding survey period.  

May data signalled a strong uplift in temp vacancies across Scotland. While outpacing the UK-wide trend, the rate of vacancy growth eased from April’s recent high but remained marked. The upturn also extended the current sequence of rising demand to 20 months.  

IT & Computing noted the sharpest rise in vacancies, with Blue Collar posting in second place. 

Sebastian Burnside, Chief Economist at Royal Bank of Scotland, commented:  “Scotland’s job market saw a further marked increase in recruitment activity during the latest survey period. However, hiring momentum eased for both permanent and temporary staff to the slowest in 15 and four months, respectively, as the supply of staff deteriorated rapidly.

“Moreover, permanent candidate availability fell at the quickest rate on record in May. Additionally, rising living costs and the growing imbalance between the supply and demand of labour exerted strong and sustained upward pressure on wages.  

“While the loss of hiring momentum was inevitable following the sharp rebounds in activity seen after the easing of pandemic-related restrictions, it is hoped that any slowdown will be limited as overall demand for staff remains robust.” 

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