MSP slams Scottish Government's 'broken promise' to eradicate delayed discharge in NHS Lanarkshire.

Daily Record

14-05-2025

Meghan Gallacher's call comes after new statistics from Public Health Scotland showed that over 60,000 bed days were lost in March alone because of so-called bed-blocking across Scotland's hospitals.
Central Scotland Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher has slammed the Scottish Government's 'broken promise' to eradicate delayed discharge in NHS Lanarkshire.
Meghan's call comes after new statistics from Public Health Scotland showed that over 60,000 bed days were lost in March alone because of so-called bed-blocking across Scotland's hospitals.
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That was a rise from the 58,646 days lost to bed-blocking in the same month last year.
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The 'shocking' figures come despite the then health secretary Shona Robison promising to 'eradicate' delayed discharge over a decade ago.
In NHS Lanarkshire, a total of 4,694 bed days were lost, despite patients being otherwise fit and healthy to return home.
Meghan says the SNP have failed to resource hospitals and social care services in NHS Lanarkshire while squandering £30 million on their doomed plans for a centralised national care service.
She said: 'With each passing month, the SNP continue to shamefully break their promise to eradicate delayed discharge.
'It is now over a decade since then SNP health secretary Shona Robison made that promise, but 4,694 bed days are still being lost in NHS Lanarkshire due to so-called bed blocking.
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'The SNP's failure to support frontline health and social care services is trapping in hospital patients who are otherwise fit and healthy enough to leave.
'These shocking figures sum up the folly of SNP ministers squandering tens of millions on their plans for a National Care Service when patients in NHS Lanarkshire need care packages right now.
'The failure to tackle delayed discharge in NHS Lanarkshire also has a devastating impact on frontline services across NHS Lanarkshire where patients wait longer at A&E or see vital operations cancelled at the last minute, due to a lack of bed space.
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'It is time for SNP ministers to focus on getting money to where it is needed most, rather than wasting it on pointless bureaucracy, so that patients can get out of hospital when they are fit to do so.'
Nationally, 60,129 bed days were lost in March – with an average of 1,940 people in hospital each day due to delayed discharge.
The latter was the lowest figure since April last year.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: 'While around 97 per cent of all hospital discharges happen without delay, we recognise that delays remain too high.
'However, the latest figures show a welcome reduction, and when coupled with improvements in A&E and planned care waiting times, it's clear that progress in performance is being made.
'We have a clear plan to continue to reduce delayed discharge and our budget provides £200 million to help reduce waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove blockages that keep some patients in hospital longer than they need to be.
'We are determined to continue delivering better outcomes for patients so that they are cared for in the right setting and hospital beds are there for those who need them.'
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