A&E waiting times and delayed discharge from hospital are just two of the issues at this election.
by Democrat reporter
Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of “broken promises” on the NHS as damning new figures show ongoing chaos in A&E, high levels of delayed discharge, and reduced numbers of operations taking place.
In 2015, the SNP pledged to end delayed discharge altogether; however, in February 2026, delayed discharge rose again with a staggering 55,547 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed.
That means every day an average of 1,984 beds in Scottish hospitals were occupied by people who were medically ready to leave.
In 2021, the SNP promised to increase the number of operations taking place to above pre-pandemic levels – but latest figures show that the number of operations planned hasn’t even caught up with pre-pandemic levels, let alone exceeded them.
Over the last year, there were 30,000 fewer planned operations in Scotland’s NHS than in the same period of time before the pandemic.
Scotland’s A&E crisis also continued into February of this year, despite years of promises from the SNP to fix the issue, with a staggering 16,592 people waiting more than eight hours and 8,204 waiting more than 12.
Scottish Labour branded the figures “shameful” and said they show that the SNP has no answers and Scotland needs a change of government.
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “The SNP’s litany of broken promises is causing chaos in our NHS and misery for patients and staff.
“More than a decade ago, the SNP promised to eradicate delayed discharge, but the issue is still piling pressure on hospitals and harming patients.
“Five years ago, Scotland was promised an NHS recovery, but the number of operations taking place still hasn’t recovered, and A&E is still in chaos.
“Incompetence has consequences, and the SNP’s catalogue of NHS failures is costing lives.
“These shameful figures show John Swinney and the SNP do not have the answers to this crisis – we need a change in government to save our NHS.
“The only party that can get rid of this failing SNP government and fix the mess they have made of our NHS is Scottish Labour.
“On May 7, Scotland can vote for a better future and an NHS that works by electing a Scottish Labour government led by Anas Sarwar.”
Meanwhile, responding to new figures showing that the numbers of people waiting more than 4, 8 and 12 hours at A&E in February were the highest ever for that month, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, left, said: “We are disturbingly used to huge waits at A&E, which shows just how commonplace the SNP’s failures have become.
“The only way to bring down waits is to fix the broken care system- that is what Scottish Liberal Democrats have been saying from the very start.
“There are not enough beds in A&E because there are no longer beds in longer-term wards to move patients to. Too many beds in longer-term wards are occupied by people who are medically ready to leave but can’t because the shortages of care workers and care packages won’t let them.
“That’s why I am up in Wick today, speaking to Margaret MacGill, who was in hospital for over 14 months, when she should have been home in 14 weeks.
“In May, you should back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach, regional ballot paper to reward care workers and free up vital space in A&Es.”
Monthly A&E:
During February 2026
- 16,592 (13.8%) patients spent more than 8 hours in A&E.
- 8,204 (6.8%) patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E.
Delayed discharge
- The average number of beds occupied per day due to people delayed in the hospital was 1,984 in February 2026. Compared to the previous three months, this is more than in January 2026 (1,973), December 2025 (1,967), and November 2025 (1,972).
- In February 2026, there were 55,547 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed. This is 2% more than the number of delayed days in February 2025 (54,487).
Total Planned Operations:
|
Feb 2026 – Mar 2025 |
304,044 |
|
Feb 2020 – Mar 2019 |
334,078 |
|
Difference |
-30,034 |