by Bill Heaney
Scottish Labour has warned that a crisis in social care is piling pressure on Scotland’s NHS, as the number of people waiting for care packages and assessments climbs ever upward.
Latest figures show a staggering total of 9,354 people in Scotland are waiting for a social care assessment or a care at home package.
Demand has spiked sharply over the last year, with the estimated number of hours people are waiting to receive care rising by an eyewatering 26 per cent since 2026.
Recent figures have confirmed that this year saw the worst A&E performance for any May on record and a rise in delayed discharge compared to the previous year.
Scottish Labour said these trends demonstrate the pressure social care waits are putting on hospitals.
Scottish Labour Health and Social Care spokesperson Jackie Baillie, left, said: “Thousands of Scots are stuck in limbo waiting for the social care support they need to live their lives.
“Social care is at breaking point, and it is piling pressure on our entire NHS.
“We will never fix the chaos in our NHS without dealing with the crisis in social care.
“The SNP needs to properly support social care services and deliver fair pay and conditions for workers.”
People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services:
- The number of people in Scotland (All Areas Submitted) waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care was 6,454 on 1 June 2026.
- The number of people in Scotland (All Areas Submitted) assessed and waiting for a care at home package was 2,900 on 1 June 2026.
- In total, 9,354 people were waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care or waiting for a care at home package.
- Of those people in Scotland (All Areas Submitted) waiting for care at home following an assessment of their needs, the total estimated number of weekly hours of care that they were waiting to receive was 33,140 as of 1 June 2026. This represents an increase of just over 26% from the estimated number of hours at this time last year (26,219 on 5 May 2025). Changes in the total number of hours will reflect both the number of people waiting for care and the differing level of care packages required for those waiting at each time point.
Delayed discharges in NHS Scotland monthly – May 2026:
- In May 2026, there were 59,429 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed. This is 4% more than the number of delayed days in May 2025 (57,399).
A&E May 2026:
- Attendances: There were 151,019 attendances at A&E in NHS Scotland (compared to 140,055 the previous month, and 137,702 monthly average for 2025).
- Compliance with the revised 4-hour A&E access standard: 102,205 (67.7%) of A&E attendances were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours (compared to 95,182 (68%) the previous month, and 94,930 (68.9%) monthly average for 2025).
- Attendances of over 8 hours: 16,612 (11.3%) patients spent more than 8 hours in A&E (compared to 15,501 (11.3%) the previous month, and 14,889 (11.1%) monthly average for 2025).
- Attendances of over 12 hours: 6,978 (4.7%) patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E (compared to 6,498 (4.7%) the previous month, and 6,490 (4.8%) monthly average for 2025).
- This is the worst performance for any May on record.