Mental health patients "abandoned" on delayed discharges
The Scottish Labour Party is calling on the Scottish Government to support better community care for patients
Mental health patients in Scotland are waiting up to three months to be discharged from hospital, according to figures from the Mental Health Inpatient Census.
The Scottish Labour Party is accusing the Scottish Government of “abandoning” patients after finding the average wait to be discharged rose to 87 days in 2023, an increase of 19 days on the year before.
Delayed discharge occurs when patients are medically fit to leave hospital but cannot do so as they are waiting for care arrangements to be put in place.
Scottish Labour said the statistics were a sign of an overstretched social care system.
"Scandalous figures"
MSP Paul Sweeney, the party's health spokesperson, said: "These scandalous figures are a damning indictment of Scotland's overstretched social care system.
"Vulnerable patients recovering from a mental health crisis need a proper support plan, but too many have been abandoned by the SNP.
"Being stranded in hospital needlessly for months on end will hinder patients' recovery and pile pressure on services.
"The SNP must get a handle on this crisis and ensure our social care system is equipped to give the support these patients need."
"Stranded in hospital needlessly"
The census revealed that patients in parts of the country experienced even worse waits with five health boards facing average delays of more than 100 days.
The median wait in Fife was 467 days, while the median was 239 days in NHS Highlands and 134 days in Ayrshire and Arran.
Those in Dumfries and Galloway waited 107 days on average while patients in Glasgow spent an average of 106 days in hospital when they were ready to leave.
The number of people in mental health and learning disability wards who experienced delayed discharge in Scotland in 2023 was 321, accounting for 11% of all patients. This is up 1% since 2022.
Figures released earlier this month showed that for patients of all types, delayed discharge was rising.
"Abandoning" patients
Statistics for September showed patients who were medically well enough to leave spent 59,033 additional days in hospital. - 9% higher than the same time last year.
During that month, an average of 1,968 beds were occupied each day by people whose discharge was delayed, figures from Public Health Scotland showed.
Mental Wellbeing Secretary Maree Todd said: "It is completely unacceptable that people are spending time in hospitals or other care settings when they are medically fit for discharge.
"Discharge planning should begin at the point of admission and provide high-quality care and support for people with learning disabilities to live in their home communities.
"We are taking action through our Coming Home programme, such as support registers to help with local planning, and have allocated £20 million to health boards to design community-based solutions to avoid or limit future hospital use."