News: Soaring numbers stuck in hospital due to social care crisis

Age Scotland is calling for urgent action to tackle the social care “crisis”, with soaring numbers of older people stuck in hospital beds waiting for care in their communities.

The latest figures from Public Health Scotland show that the number of delayed discharges from hospitals has soared in recent months, now matching pre-pandemic levels.

In September, an average of 1,615 beds were occupied per day due to delayed discharges, up 8 per cent on August’s figure and the highest figure since February 2020 (1616 beds per day).

In total, 48,436 extra days were spent in hospital in September, up 47 per cent on the same month last year.

The vast majority of these were due to older patients awaiting a social care package at home or a place in a care home.

Health and social care partnerships across Scotland are struggling to cope with “unprecedented” staff shortages and increased demand, partly due to Covid-19 absences and the loss of EU workers due to Brexit.

Some councils, including Argyll & Bute, have asked family and friends to help with care, while South Lanarkshire Council emailed non-care staff asking if they would like to earn more money working in social care.

Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said:

“It’s extremely worrying to see the number of delayed discharges soaring in recent months, now matching the level seen before the pandemic. Each day, hundreds of older people are stuck in hospital beds, alone and isolated, simply because there is no one to care for them in their community.

“These people are medically fit enough to be discharged, yet every extra day spent in hospital can have a severe impact on their strength, balance, frailty and mental health. In fact, research suggests that spending an additional three weeks on a hospital ward can have a similar impact to ageing an older person 30 years.

"As well as this unacceptable human cost, delayed discharges are costing our cash-strapped NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds each day.

“Across Scotland, social care providers are struggling with an unprecedented staffing crisis, leaving thousands of people with complex needs missing out on the care they desperately need. We’ve heard of desperate councils and health and social care partnerships asking family members to help out, or urging non-care staff to take on these roles.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit have exacerbated an existing shortage of social care staff, and this is only going to get worse as winter approaches. We urgently need a huge boost in social care investment, with a nationwide recruitment drive and better integration of health and social care services. Carers are the unsung heroes of our health service, yet droves are leaving the profession due to low pay, burnout, and a lack of support.

“While plans for a National Care Service are a welcome step, we can’t wait any longer to tackle this crisis and ensure every older person receives the care they need.”