THE number of people who had to stay in hospital despite being well enough to be discharged fell by 10 per cent in a year.
The discharges of 1297 patients were delayed according to figures from the February census point, compared with 1439 in 2017.
The majority – 1077 – spent more than three extra days in hospital. The most common reason for this was health and social care issues. The figures showed that during February, 38,394 days were spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed, a five per cent drop on 2017.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “These figures cover a period when our hospitals experienced significant additional demands due to the pressures winter brought.
“I expect boards to keep working hard to ensure no patient has to spend unnecessary time in hospital. To support that, we have transferred nearly half a billion pounds from the NHS into social care and integration this financial year.”
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