In Scotland, 97% of patients experience no delay in hospital discharge – it’s been the same since records began but only one of 4 auditor generals in the UK seems interested in this stuff, wonder why

From BBC Scotland today:

NHS Scotland spent £440m last year on beds for patients who were unable to get out of hospital despite being ready to be discharged, according to public spending watchdogs. The report from the Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission said one in nine hospital beds were occupied because of delayed discharges in the 12 months to April 2025. People experiencing a delayed discharge collectively spent more than 720,000 clinically unnecessary days in hospital last year.

It’s only in the 12th paragraph, of BBC Scotland‘s report on the effort’s of the UK’s most well-known Auditor General, Stephen Boyle, do you see:

Despite only around 3% of all people discharged from hospital experiencing a delay, each delay has a detrimental effect on the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing,” the report said. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgyxyx91nvo

So, that’s 97% who do not experience any delay? It’s been the same since this recording method began.1

How do the other 3 auditors in the UK report on this? Even AI can find no figures because they never do.

Sources:

  1. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/delayed-discharges-in-nhsscotland-annual/delayed-discharges-in-nhsscotland-annual-annual-summary-of-occupied-bed-days-and-census-figures-data-to-march-2023-planned-revision/

7 thoughts on “In Scotland, 97% of patients experience no delay in hospital discharge – it’s been the same since records began but only one of 4 auditor generals in the UK seems interested in this stuff, wonder why”

  2. From the Institute for Government, dated 14 November 2025.

    https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/performance-tracker-2025/nhs/hospitals

    “Performance Tracker 2025: Hospitals”

    Scrolling through their report you come across this. 👇

    “There was no month in 2024/25 in which general and acute bed occupancy was below 91.4%, well above the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s recommendation that trusts should have an upper ceiling of 85% for bed occupancy.

    Some of that high demand for bed space is because there are large numbers of people who remain in hospital even though they are eligible for discharge. Throughout 2024/25, an average of 12,663 patients remained in hospital each day despite meeting the criteria for discharge – 12.0% of general and acute beds each day, on average. In September 2025, NHS England published details of the financial cost of each delayed bed day. It estimated that the NHS spent £220m on people who were in hospital but eligible for discharge in that month. If that is a typical monthly cost, then it implies the NHS spends £2.6bn per year on delayed discharge – only slightly less than the £2.8bn that the government spent on the courts and tribunals system in 2024/25.”

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    2. Just to to add to the sources you give:

      Stevenson et al (Dec 14, 2025) Delayed discharges from hospital: comparing performance this year and last. Health Foundation.

      The report is concerned with NHS England only. It offers a sensible, useful assessment of the complex of factors that result in increased delayed discharge. It highlights the fact that in the past 12-18 months the vast majority of NHS trusts have seen delayed discharge stats deteriorate.

      ‘Between July to September 2024 and July to September 2025, the percentage of bed days used for patients whose discharge from hospital was delayed rose from 10.1% to 11.0% – an increase of 9%, or around 19,000 bed days.’

      It also makes the same reference to cost: ‘As of 30 September 2025, a substantial 12,459 beds were occupied by patients fit for discharge, costing the NHS an estimated £220m that month alone and preventing beds from being used by other patients.’

      The report examines the c. 7 trusts that have improved stats and finds no simple, single causal factor.

      The situation in NHS Wales can be discerned from this clunky data presentation from StatsWales.

      https://stats.gov.wales/en-GB/def0a3ee-ce00-4bad-887f-3c78b2876969?page_size=100&filter%5BRefCode%5D.2%5B%5D=2&filter%5BHealthBoardCode%5D.W92000004%5B%5D=W92000004&dataViewsChoice=filter

      Here there is more evidence pointing to what appears so far to be an intractable NHS problem, EVEN – can you believe (!) – for Labour governments in Westminster and Cardiff.

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  3. People who live alone. Sometimes people have to wait for suitable accommodation.

    Scottish Gov spends £13Billion on healthcare + social care. Personal care means people can stay in their own home. Better and less costly.

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  5. Pingback: Scotland’s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS and England’s doesn’t even try when he really should do – Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz'

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