By Lucy Ashton
As new Public Health Scotland statistics show thousands still languishing in Scottish hospitals due to delayed discharges remaining stubbornly high.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has urged the Scottish Government to scrap their “ill-fated ministerial takeover of social care.”
In January 2023, the average number of beds occupied per day in hospital was 1,833. There was also an 8% increase in the number of days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed, from 52,678 in January 2022 to 56,826 days in January 2023.
In 2015, the SNP Government promised to “eradicate delayed discharges from the system” within a year.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Every new set of figures lays bare the ongoing crisis in social care. Years of ministerial failure have taken their toll; hardworking NHS staff and vulnerable patients are paying the price.
“Humza Yousaf is evidently far more interested in his own bid for leadership of the SNP than he is in the day job.
“The Government’s answer to the social care crisis has been an ill-fated ministerial takeover, which after months of Scottish Liberal Democrat calls they have finally paused. They now need to scrap this billion-pound bureaucracy entirely and instead invest money into services and staff.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats would support staff today by setting national standards and entitlements for users to drive up the quality of care and move quickly to reward staff with better pay, conditions and career progression through powerful national bargaining.”
The latest delayed discharge figures can be found here
Meanwhile, responding to Public Health Scotland statistics showing the 18-week mental health treatment target is still being missed for 30% of children, with more than 4,000 children and adults waiting a year or more for mental health treatment.
LibDem health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP commented: “Yet again, we are seeing thousands of children and adults waiting over a year for the help they desperately need. The Government needs to get its head out of the sand.
Alex Cole Hamilton and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
“The Scottish Government still claims it will clear these dreadful mental health waiting lists by March, but figures like these show that is highly unlikely. SNP and Greens only added to the challenges by cutting £38 million from mental health in this year’s budget.
“After getting Parliament to declare a mental health emergency, Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue the fight to give everyone waiting new hope.
“As one of her last acts as First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon should today adopt our proposals for more counsellors in schools, a single point of contact for those on waiting lists, training to be ramped up so that every workplace can benefit from a mental health first aider, and the roll-out of more mental health professionals near to you in GP surgeries and A&E departments.”
Meanwhile, 663 children and young people who started their treatment between October and December 2022 had waited more than a year. A further 725 children and young people still waiting to start their treatment for the quarter ending December 2022 had already waited more than a year. The total who waited, or are still waiting, more than a year is 1138.
662 adults who started to receive psychological therapies between October and December 2022 had waited more than a year. A further 2,110 adults still waiting to start their treatment for the quarter ending December 2022 had already waited more than a year. The total who waited, or are still waiting, more than a year is 2,772.
70.1% of children and young people were seen within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 67.9.% for the previous quarter and a decrease from the 70.5% for the same quarter ending December 2021.
81.1% of people started their treatment within 18 weeks of referral, compared to 80.7% of people for the previous quarter, and 84.8% of people for the quarter ending December 2021.