The annual summary from ISD shows that delayed discharges in NHS Scotland in 2018/19 have increased by 6 percent from the year before. Commenting on today’s report Theresa Fyffe, Director of RCN Scotland, said:
“It is unacceptable for people to be kept in hospital unnecessarily and is completely at odds with the Scottish Government’s vision of safe, high quality care at home or in a homely setting. More must be done to improve the resources in our communities.
“Adequately staffed 24/7 district nursing teams can help those in hospital return home safely and quickly and can prevent hospital admission in the first place. Despite this the Scottish Government has yet to deliver on its commitment to set out the investment required to grow the district nursing workforce.
“Scotland’s care homes are struggling to recruit the nursing staff required to ensure they can meet the needs of those who are well enough to be discharged from hospital but continue to require clinical care.
“Scottish Government must do more to addresses these workforce challenges and ensure Integration Authorities and NHS Boards have the resources they need.”
