SNP leaving hip fracture patients in pain for longer 

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said that significant rise in the number of patients experiencing longer waits for treatment of broken hips is yet another example of the SNP’s poor handling of the NHS.

New figures published by Public Health Scotland show:

• The number of people aged 50 and over who suffer hip fractures continued to rise with 8426 cases in 2024, up from 8,355 in 2023.

• The constraints of inpatient bed capacity continued to impact timely discharge from the Emergency Department (ED): the average time patients spent in the ED was 5 hours 36 minutes compared to 5 hours 10 minutes 2023 and less (30%) were admitted to a ward within the 4 hour target in 2024 (37% in 2023).

People who suffer from a hip fracture are usually frail and elderly and at risk of complications from surgery and/or the injury. This can be associated with increased length of stay in hospital, admission to care homes, and mortality.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

"These figures represent thousands of patients in pain.

“Successive SNP health secretaries have failed to ensure that these patients got prompt care.

"The SNP need to admit these failings and get serious about these patients' health needs.

"It's also time to review whether the national falls and fractures strategy is working and whether changes are needed."