Commenting after challenging the Health Secretary on why the number of delayed discharges are on the increase again in Scotland, Liberal Democrat Public Health spokesperson Jamie Stone MSP said:

“Liberal Democrats are concerned that numbers of delayed discharges are on the increase again in Scotland with significantly more delayed discharges at the last census than at the same time the previous year.

“There is absolutely no point in protecting the health budget if patients then end up languishing in expensive hospital beds for weeks on end.

“We need the barriers between hospital care and community care to be broken down but this must be done in a way that reflects local circumstances.

“It was disappointing that plans the Government recently announced on tackling this issue lacked detail and don’t appear to have been consulted on.

“The growing cost of care is the big challenge facing the NHS and local authorities. Liberal Democrats believe that in meeting this challenge, local people and authorities are able to determine what is good for their area, not Government ministers.”