COMPLEX reasons including awaiting the completion of care arrangements and community care assessments have been blamed for a 6% rise in the number of delayed discharge bed days in Scotland.
They rose to 521,772 last year, according to figures from ISD Scotland, which said 69% (360,582) were occupied by people aged 75 years and over.
ISD Scotland estimated that in 2017/18, the cost of delayed discharges for NHS Scotland was £122 million – with an estimated average bed day cost of £248.
Reasons given for delays include patients awaiting completion of care arrangements, awaiting place availability, funding, transport and patient and family reasons.
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said patients who have had their discharge delayed now accounted for one in 12 hospital beds in Scotland.
A spokesperson said: “The impact of delayed discharges in Scotland will be felt most by patients, and we are concerned that nearly 70% of delayed patients were 75 or over. Longer stays in hospital have been associated with increased risk of infection, reduced motivation, and low mood.
“Each of these factors can affect a patient’s health after they’ve left hospital, and can increase their chances of readmission. Delayed discharges will also add pressure to staff working in health and care, who have been dealing with an increased workload.
“Delayed discharges remain much higher than we would like, which is far from ideal given the continued pressures that NHS Scotland faces.
“We think that Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), which are responsible for health and social care integration in Scotland, should be prioritising delayed discharges as a matter of urgency.
“But care must be taken to ensure that quality of care is not harmed, when shifting the balance of care from hospitals to care in the community.”
Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, Monica Lennon, said that Health Secretary Jeane Freeman was supposed to fix the problems in health and social care, “not make them worse”.
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