Rise in delayed discharges from hospital

herardscotland staff

Published on 23 Feb 2010

The number of patients waiting in Scottish hospitals beyond the end of treatment has increased in the past year.

There were 606 delayed discharges in January, an increase from 492 in the same month last year, according to NHS statisticians at ISD Scotland.

Of those, 83 patients waited more than six weeks to leave, up from 79 in January 2009.

The problem arises when patients have to wait for necessary care, support and accommodation arrangements to be put in place.

Although up over the past year, the recent figures showed a fall from a peak in October.

Click link to read more about delayed discharges

Read ISD’s latest update about delayed discharges