SCOTTISH patients spent a total of 45,404 days in hospital in December after they were well enough to leave, official NHS statistics revealed today.

A hospital census carried out in that month revealed that 1,379 people had their discharge delayed, up 12 per cent from the previous year, including 400 people who had to wait six weeks or more to leave.

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Monica Lennon said that SNP ministers’ promise to end delayed discharge have been “broken over and over again.”