553 Lothian patients die waiting to leave hospital

Patients are judged clinically ready to leave but care and accommodation have not been arranged.

A TOTAL of 553 patients in Lothian have died while waiting to be released from hospital since the Scottish Government pledged to end bed-blocking nearly three years ago.

Across Scotland more than 1,000 patients died while on a delayed discharge waiting list.

And Labour’s health spokesman, Anas Sarwar, warned the situation would only get worse as councils face swingeing cuts to their social care budgets.

Health Secretary Shona Robison announced in early 2015 that delayed discharge would be eradicated by the end of that year. But figures obtained by Labour under freedom of information shows that 1,152 patients have died while waiting to be discharged.

The Lothian figure was far higher than for any other health board and accounted for almost half the delayed discharge deaths in Scotland. Delayed discharge occurs when patients are clinically ready to leave hospital but are waiting for care and accommodation arrangements to be made.

Mr Sarwar said: “In 2015 the SNP promised to scrap delayed discharge in our hospitals. Instead, more than 1,000 patients have died in hospital waiting to go home.

“Our NHS staff are undervalued and overstretched, and they should be supported by a proper system to help patients out of hospital as soon as they are fit to leave.

“Further cuts to local councils which provide social care will only add to this, and it shows the complete mismanagement of our health and care services under the SNP.