Delayed discharges cost NHS Scotland at least £440m a year

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One of the NHS’s biggest problems is that one in nine beds is occupied by someone who does not need to be there

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Delayed discharge cost at least £440m last year, says Scottish watchdog

DELAYED discharges cost the NHS at least £440 million, Scotland’s public service watchdog has said.

Delayed discharges cost NHS Scotland at least £440m a year

Patients can be delayed in hospital for a number of reasons, but the most common is the lack of a social care package.

One in nine Scottish hospital beds blocked by delayed discharges

Audit Scotland warns delayed discharges cost £440m a year and leave one in nine hospital beds occupied unnecessarily.

Delayed discharges, a sign of wider challenges in health and social care

Delays in discharging patients from hospital affect people's physical and mental health, and make it harder to admit others to hospital. Delayed discharges are a symptom of wider pressures across health and social care in Scotland.