Record high levels of people stuck in hospital

Responding to new Public Health Scotland figures which showed 2,009 people were stuck in hospital in August due to their discharge being delayed, the highest number of people delayed since the guidelines were updated in 2016, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Scotland’s care services are in crisis and the fault lies squarely at the door of this SNP Government. Being stuck in hospital unnecessarily fails patients, contributes to record-breaking waits in A&E and leads to dangerous ambulance delays.

“It couldn’t be clearer that the SNP’s planned ministerial takeover of social care, that doesn’t have the support of unions or council leaders, should be scrapped immediately.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats believe the money earmarked for this billion-pound bureaucracy should be spent on frontline services and staff struggling right now.  Only we have a plan to fix the crisis in social care, relieving pressure on the NHS through a minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher and enabling people to leave hospital when they are fit to do so.”