£33,000 daily pricetag of delayed discharge

DELAYED discharge is costing NHS Dumfries as much as £33,000 a day, it has been claimed.

And the new figure has prompted one MSP to accuse the SNP of presiding over a “decade of failure”.

Delayed discharge is when a patient remains in hospital despite being medically fit to leave.

The new analysis by Scottish Labour has revealed that nearly six million bed days across Scotland have been lost to delayed discharge with a cost of over £1.6 billion.

In NHS Dumfries and Galloway, 100 beds a day on average are occupied by a patient whose discharge has been delayed, costing the health board an estimated £33,264.26 per day.

Commenting, South Scotland Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan said: “It is absolutely disgraceful that the SNP’s decade of failure on tackling delayed discharge is costing NHS Dumfries and Galloway £33,264.26 a day.

“That is taxpayers’ money that could be going to our frontline services to help cut waiting lists for treatment, ease the strain on A&E, and support hardworking staff who are increasingly feeling burnt out because of the pressure they are under.

“Over ten years have now passed since the SNP promised to end delayed discharge, yet too many patients in Dumfries and Galloway are still left languishing in hospitals for days or weeks on end waiting for a care package.

“It is clear that the SNP has absolutely no idea about how to ease pressure on hospitals and to make meaningful improvements to social care in Dumfries and Galloway.”