The £ 10m cost of delayed discharge
Scottish Government blasted over bed blocking
Labour MSP Colin Smyth has criticised the Scottish Government for failing to tackle delayed discharge, which he says is “spiralling out of control.”
It comes as the annual delayed discharge figures published by the Scottish Government’s Information Services Division ( ISD) Scotland show that in the 2018/ 19 financial year 42,831 bed days were lost as a result of delayed discharge across the region.
This came at a cost to NHS Ayrshire and Arran of £ 10,622,088. Delayed discharge is when a patient is medically cleared to go home but cannot leave hospital, often as a social care package is not in place.
South of Scotland MSPO Colin Smyth said, “SNP Ministers used to promise that they would eradicate delayed discharge, but they are simply presiding over a crisis that is spiralling out of control. Cuts to local health and social care services are increasimg in the number patients having to stay longer in hospital despite being medically fit to leave often because there isn’t a care package in place to allow them to go home. The £ 10m+ being spent on delayed discharge could be used elsewhere to tackle the challenges facing local health services. The Scottish Government must take urgent action to properly fund health and social care to ensure resources are put care to meet the growing demand from an ageing population, not just to keep people in hospital.”
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “No one should have to spend unnecessary time in hospital once treatment is complete. That is why we are allocating more than £ 700 million to support social care and integration in 2019/ 20, helping to reduce delays in the system. While many health and social care partnerships are performing well, a small number are accounting for a significant proportion of the delays. It’s therefore vital that we continue to share good practice throughout the system. There has been a recent increase in delays where it is has been necessary to apply to the courts for a guardian under Adults with Incapacity legislation. To help address this we are working with partnerships to share improvements, and will shortly issue new guidance.
“We are also carrying out a longer term review of the legislation, as part of the wider review of the Mental Health Act that was recently announced by the Minister for Mental Health.”