Delayed discharge figures across Ayrshire and Arran have risen by 40 per cent, according to new figures.
Figures released by Public Health Scotland show that delayed discharge rates at NHS Ayrshire and Arran rose from 3,093 in December 2020 to 4,342 in December 2021.
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.
Now South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth has called on the Scottish Government to address the issue once and for all.
He said: “These spiralling rates of delayed discharge are the last thing our struggling health service needs.
“This mounting crisis will damage patients’ recovery and drain precious funds from our NHS at the worst possible time.
“It is pure negligence that has let this spiral out of control again over the last year.
“The SNP must get a grip and invest in social care so that people can get the support they need and the NHS can focus on treating people.”
Jamie Greene, Scottish Conservative MSP for the West Scotland Region also waded into the debate.
He said: "The SNP promised to eradicate delayed discharge in our hospitals seven years ago, but they have failed miserably.
“Failure to free up beds in our hospitals is only putting more pressure on our frontline staff and increasing anxiety for patients who are desperate to get back home.
“SNP Ministers have repeatedly failed to give our social care services the resources they need in Ayrshire to ensure patients can access suitable care packages as quickly as possible.
“We need to stop hearing warm words from SNP Ministers on delayed discharge, and instead an urgent plan that will get a grip of this crisis once and for all.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Recent months have seen extreme pressures across the whole health and social care system and this has seen more people coming through hospitals who need high levels of care and support to go home.
“We have announced significant additional funding to address this, including £62 million to enhance care at home, £48 million to increase the hourly rate of pay, £40 million to support interim care arrangements and £20 million to enhance multi-disciplinary teams.
“We have also recently launched our “discharge without delay” programme, backed by £5 million, to help local health and social care partnerships improve discharge planning arrangements.
“We are working alongside our Health Boards, and local partners with urgency and pace to safely discharge people to their own homes, or to an appropriate care home or community setting.
“We are doing this in the best interests of the individual involved and to also help us maximise capacity during this time of extreme pressure within our NHS.”
The SNP’s Elena Whitham, MSP, for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, said: “In East Ayrshire in particular, the health and social care partnership have a commendable track record, even through these trying times, and the longer-term work to establish a national care service is an important step in helping to extend best practice across the whole country.
"This is a whole system challenge exacerbated by Covid, and in particular the recent omicron variant, which has impacted care at home services.
“I welcome the Scottish Government’s recent announcement of £300 million to help address winter pressures across Scotland which includes £40 million to support alternative interim care arrangements and £62 million to enhance care at home."
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