Age Scotland responds to Audit Scotland report on delayed discharge
Responding to Audit Scotland's report on delayed discharge, Katherine Crawford, chief executive of Age Scotland, said:
"For far too long delayed discharge has caused untold damage to older patients in Scotland’s hospitals and come at a staggering cost to the NHS. This report from the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission highlights the ongoing problem, and its root cause – a health and social care sector unable to deliver an adequate level of care at home to those who need it.
"Latest figures from Public Health Scotland, published last month, showed that almost 2000 patients, the majority over 65, were kept in hospital during October when they didn’t need to be there, largely because there was not enough care at home available for them.
"The impact this has on their health, mobility, loneliness and long-term independence can be catastrophic. Three weeks spent in hospital when you don’t need to be there can have the same effect on an older person as ageing by 30 years.
"Delayed discharge is unacceptable in terms of the human cost, but also to a cash-strapped and over-stretched NHS which spends hundreds of thousands of pounds a day paying for patients to stay in hospital when they should be at home. Imagine what could be achieved if that money was spent on delivering the necessary social care or helping to reduce the growing waiting lists for procedures and operations.
"The report also shows the importance of having Power of Attorney in place to allow loved ones to make decisions about ongoing health and social care for patients and can speed up hospital discharge in some cases.
"The Scottish Government pledged £100 million in its 2025/26 budget to tackle delayed discharge, but we are yet to see a reduction in the number of patients affected. Initiatives such as hospital at home are meant to be alleviating the pressure on the health and social care sectors and they do offer a valuable alternative to acute hospital settings, but it is important to show that they are working effectively for older patients by reducing the numbers adversely impacted by delayed discharge."
