From Delayed discharges in NHS Scotland monthly Figures for September 2026 published today:

The average (median) length of delay for people delayed at the September 2026 census was 29 days. This is less than as at the census point in August 2026 (33 days), the same as July 2026 (29 days) and less than June 2026 (30 days). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly/delayed-discharges-in-nhs-scotland-monthly-figures-for-september-2026/main-points/

This is a 12% imrpovement.

How important is this statistic?

Impacts on family and carers

Families often remain involved in daily visiting, advocacy, and coordination with health and social care teams while the patient is delayed. This can involve repeated travel, time off work, and managing uncertainty about when (or if) discharge will happen.

Waiting for assessments, care packages, or legal processes, especially adults with incapacity cases, places stress on relatives. Disagreements about care arrangements or place of discharge can arise during these prolonged periods.

If the delay ends with higher support needs, families may face greater long-term caring responsibilities or the emotional difficulty of a move into residential care that might have been avoidable with a quicker discharge.

While the median delay is only one number among several delayed-discharge metrics, for the individuals and families experiencing it the length of delay is often the most personal and consequential aspect. It turns what should be a short transition into a period that can harm health, reduce independence, and impose sustained practical and emotional costs on relatives.