A damning report from public spending watchdogs has revealed that the SNP's broken promise to eradicate delayed discharge, commonly known as bed-blocking, cost Scotland's NHS a minimum of £1.2 million every single day last year, while also making patients sicker.
A Costly Crisis in Hospital Wards
The joint investigation by the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission found that a critical shortage of community care forced health boards to spend an average of £618 per day for each patient stuck in a hospital bed after being medically ready to leave. This staggering cost is more than four times the rate for a place in a state-funded nursing home, which averages £145 daily.
With a record 720,119 wasted bed days in 2024/25, the estimated minimum financial burden on hospitals reached £440 million. On any given day, an average of 1,973 beds were unnecessarily occupied, with patients facing an average delay of 10 days. Although delayed discharges affected only 3% of patients, it meant one in nine hospital beds was blocked, two-thirds by people aged 75 and over.
Human and Systemic Toll
The consequences extend far beyond balance sheets. The report warns that being trapped in hospital needlessly inflicts severe damage on patients' physical and mental health, leading to more infections, reduced mobility, and higher care needs upon finally leaving. This crisis also creates a catastrophic domino effect across the NHS.
"Being trapped needlessly in hospital takes a huge toll on patients' physical and mental health," said Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane. "Delayed discharge also has a catastrophic domino effect on our NHS, causing last-minute cancelled operations and huge backlogs in A&E departments."
The blockage makes it harder to admit other patients, exacerbates overcrowding, and prolongs waiting lists for vital operations. Dr Fiona Hunter, Vice President for Scotland of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, described the situation as "an almost inconceivable waste of resources" that should be helping patients "lining the corridors of Emergency Departments day in, day out."
A Decade of Broken Promises
The SNP pledged to "eradicate" delayed discharge over a decade ago. In 2015, then health secretary Shona Robison declared it would "become something of the past." Instead, the problem has worsened, peaking at 2,030 blocked beds a day in October 2024.
Auditors noted that two-thirds of the hold-ups were linked to gaps in care provision outside hospital. They were forced to calculate the £440 million cost themselves, as the Scottish Government fails to measure it—a failure that makes solving the problem harder. The report states: "In a system under extreme financial pressure, it is essential that the Scottish Government can identify the cost of delayed discharges and take targeted action to reduce them."
Political reaction has been fierce. Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was "utterly astonishing that our NHS is losing £1.2 million a day," while Scottish Labour's deputy Dame Jackie Baillie stated the issue is "causing misery for patients, piling pressure onto hospitals, and costing our NHS billions."
In response, SNP health secretary Neil Gray admitted "more must be done" but pointed to over £220 million of investment to improve patient flow and some area improvements. Auditor General Stephen Boyle concluded that causes are complex, involving rising demand, finances, staffing, and legal issues, and urged the government, health bodies, and councils to radically improve their coordinated approach.
