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.”

She added: “We can’t continue to do social care on the cheap. That’s why Scottish Labour is calling for a fair deal for local councils in this year’s budget, to put an end to the delayed discharge crisis that has cost our NHS hundreds of millions of pounds.

“People being stuck in hospital for too long because the care they need isn’t in place is not only distressing for them and their families, it’s putting unnecessary strain on our hospitals.”

“The SNP has been mismanaging our health service for 13 years and has fuelled a crisis in social care.”

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay is due to unveil his draft budget later this week.

Age Scotland head of policy Adam Stachura called for the budget to prioritise “investment in our precious social care services.”

He said: “It is once again extremely disappointing to see how many older people are being kept in hospital because of the failure to get to grips with the lack of available social care in the community.”