FIGURES released by Public Health Scotland last Tuesday show delayed discharge figures have deteriorated in NHS Dumfries and Galloway when compared to the same month in 2024.
The figures for March 2025 show 3,305 bed days occupied in Dumfries and Galloway, compared to 3,154 in March 2024. The figures are also up from February 2025 (2,582).
Delayed discharge is when a patient is medically cleared to go home but cannot leave hospital, often because a social care package is not in place or there is a lack of places in care homes or sheltered housing.
Across the country thousands of hours of assessed care is not being provided in homes because of a lack of carers.
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said: “After months of small improvements and static figures, we’re once again seeing deteriorating picture when looking at delayed discharge figures in Dumfries and Galloway, which is concerning.
“The human cost of delayed discharge cannot be underestimated but what continues to give me serious concerns is the cost to our amazing NHS.
“The more people remaining in hospital when they are fit to be discharged, the more pressure is piled onto the NHS and all the fantastic healthcare workers who are trying to help them.
“The SNP promised to end delayed discharge but instead thousands of Scots are facing an uncertain future while other patients can’t get a hospital bed.
“What we need is long term investment, including tackling the woeful low level of sheltered housing locally, and start paying care workers a fair wage, which would help with the recruitment crisis the sector faces. We also need to drive up the standards of care, because too often people receive just the very basic support, which isn’t enough.”
