Fast Track to Care

Too many patients who are ready to leave hospital remain stuck on wards because the right support is not in place to allow them to leave.

SNP ministers promised to eradicate delayed discharge a decade ago, but on their watch it’s at a record high – with 720,000 bed-days lost last year alone.

Our plan to tackle delayed discharge:

Use spare care home capacity. Patients who are medically ready to leave hospital would move into local care homes within 48 hours in areas that have opted in and have capacity.

Secure up to 600 short-term care home beds. We would fund partnerships in pilot areas to procure temporary care home beds, using payments set above the National Care Home rate to secure places.

Change the law for adults with incapacity. A significant share of delayed discharge beds are occupied by adults with incapacity. We would amend the law so these patients can move to a care home with a doctor’s approval and the family’s agreement, rather than waiting for lengthy guardianship processes.