NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted she can end the problem of delayed discharges in Scotland’s hospitals after figures hit a new record high.

The First Minister told MSPs that “of course it is our intention and policy to eradicate delayed discharges” and the Scottish Government would continue to invest in making it happen.

The pledge is likely to be cast back at her by her opponents if the figures fail to drop.

It came after she was reminded that former SNP health secretary Shona Robison said in February 2015 that she intended to “eradicate delayed discharges” by the end of that year.

On Tuesday, official figures revealed record levels of delayed discharge patients occupying beds in September - people medically fit to leave hospital but who cannot leave because of other issues, principally a lack of a suitable care package at home or a care home.

On average 1,832 beds were occupied each day, up 2% on August, and the highest since comparable records began in July 2016.

In total, there were 54,960 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed, up 13% on September 2021’s 48,436, although down slightly on August 2022.

AT FMQs, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross raised Ms Robison’s now infamous broken  promise and said the problem was “worse than ever before”.

He said: “Will the First Minister’s Government ever ‘eradicate delayed discharge’ as it promised?”

Ms Sturgeon said: “With regard to delayed discharges, we continue to see significant pressure across the entire health and care system.

“More people who are coming through hospitals need high levels of care and support in order to be discharged home, and we are investing to address that significant challenge. 

“We are investing more than £100million to enhance care at home, we have increased the hourly rate of pay for social care workers, and we are investing £40 m to enhance multidisciplinary teams.

“However, despite those pressures, the number of average bed days occupied by delay is now similar to pre-Covid levels. The total number of delayed discharges in the most recent year is actually down by 23 per cent on the period immediately pre-Covid.

“Those are significant challenges, but the policies, interventions and investment of this Government are intended to address those challenges, and we will continue to take those steps.”

Mr Ross replied: “The question was about whether the First Minister will promise, as her former health secretary did, to ‘eradicate delayed discharge’, but she refused to answer. Delayed discharge has got worse, but the First Minister’s excuses are the same.”

The First Minister said: “I will answer the question about delayed discharges… Of course, it is our intention and policy to eradicate delayed discharges

“The key piece of information that I gave to Douglas Ross in my previous answer is that we have had a pandemic and, whether he likes to admit it or not, that has had an impact on health and social care services not just in Scotland but across the United Kingdom, Europe and the world.

“If we look at the situation in relation to the most recent year for which we have a full year’s figures, we see that there has been a reduction in delayed discharge compared with the period that immediately preceded the Covid pandemic. 

“That is a result of not only the dedication of those who work in health and social care, but the interventions that I referenced in my first answer. We will continue to invest in and support policies that are intended to eradicate delayed discharges.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar asked Ms Sturgeon about delays experienced by ambulances trying to drop patients off at A&E units, a problem partly caused by delayed discharge patients occupying beds needed by people admitted through A&E.

He revealed more than 2,700 ambulances waited around 1 hour 50 minutes last month to drop off patients, while at Glasgow’s flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital the turnaround time for ambulances was more than three hours.

In the week beginning October 10 there were 69 ambulances waiting three hours and 40 minutes to drop off patients at the QEUH. 

Mr Sarwar warned “lives will be lost” if the situation doesn’t improve.

He said: “This Government has no grip of the NHS crisis. Staff are being asked to do the impossible. Patients are being asked to accept the unacceptable.

“But this Government are still in denial.

“We have growing queues at A&Es for treatment, ambulances off the road for hours trying to drop off patients, and people waiting in pain for help to come.

“All of this is before we have even reached the worst of winter. Lives will be lost as a result.

“The Health Secretary now says it’s going to take another five years to fix the problem – a problem that has been 15 years in the making.

“After 15 years of SNP Government, patients shouldn’t have to wait a minute longer.”

Ambulance staff are among the NHS workers threatening strike action over a pay dispute.

Scottish Ambulance Service workers in the GMB union and in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area voted overwhelmingly for industrial action earlier this week.

Physiotherapists and midwifery staff have also backed a walkout over pay.

Mr Sarwar quoted an unnamed ambulance driver about concerns on the front line.

He said: “Waiting time at the Queen Elizabeth and elsewhere are not a post-pandemic issue, we have been raising this for as long as I’ve been in the service.

“But sadly, the times are getting longer, patients are getting sicker, and it’s happening in all seasons now – not only the winter months.”

Ms Sturgeon said she always listened to concerns from staff in the health sector, but stressed additional funding was needed from Westminster to tackle the crisis.

She said: “We take these responsibilities extremely seriously every single day – every minute of every single day. But the fact of the matter is, the pressures on our NHS are not divorced from the wider budgetary issues.”

She said the Welsh Labour Government had expressed concern that the country’s NHS will be “hell on earth” without additional funding from Westminster.

She said: “How come it is the case that Labour in Wales can recognise that reality, but Labour in Scotland is so clearly thirled to defending the Tories they are blind to that reality?

“We will do everything we can in terms of the management of our NHS, but the fact of the matter is we do need more funding for our NHS and that can only come from decisions that are taken at Westminster.”