AN ONGOING crisis has left thousands waiting for care packages and “piling pressure” on the NHS, Scottish Labour warned today as delayed discharges in Scotland’s hospitals rose by 4 per cent.

Statistics published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) show a climb from 57,399 in May 2025 to 59,429 in May 2026.

The figures come after the Scottish government body revealed May had been the worst on record for A&Es, with just 67.7 per cent of those attending Scotland’s emergency departments being admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target.

Despite the root causes of delayed discharge, such as the unavailability of appropriate housing and the lack of care and support packages in place, being understood for decades, it has remained a persistent problem as health and social care partnerships continue to face shortages of both funding and labour.

Latest PHS figures underline the extent of that challenge, with 6,454 people waiting on a social care assessment for a package of care and a further 2,900 had been assessed but had yet to see it delivered.

It means that the number of hours of care people are waiting to actually receive has jumped by a staggering 26 per cent, from 26,219 to 33,140 between May 2025 and June 2026.

Scottish Labour health and social care spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “Thousands of Scots are stuck in limbo waiting for the social care support they need to live their lives.

“Social care is at breaking point, and it is piling pressure on our entire NHS.

“We will never fix the chaos in our NHS without dealing with the crisis in social care.

“The SNP needs to properly support social care services and deliver fair pay and conditions for workers.”

A Scottish government spokesperson responded: “Nobody should have to wait longer than necessary to access social care support.

“The 2026-27 Scottish Budget includes funding of almost £22.5 billion for the health and social care portfolio.

“This includes £2.3 billion for social care, exceeding the Scottish government’s commitment to increase spending by 25 per cent by the end of the last parliamentary term.

“Recent figures show sustained progress in reducing NHS waiting times, and we are determined to improve A&E performance and tackle delays for patients.”