Patient stuck in hospital for seven years is symbol of SNP's shocking lack of action on NHS crisis

The fact that the person in question has “highly complex” needs does offer a partial explanation. However, it is clearly not in the best interests of the hospital for a bed to be taken up by someone who does not need to be there for so long.

We do not know the feelings of the person involved, but feel confident in saying the vast majority of people would prefer to live in a residential setting, rather than one designed to treat the sick and injured.

‘A source of shame’

Another patient has been waiting four years and 147 days, a third for more than three years, according to figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives under Freedom of Information law.

Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane, who pointed out the SNP had said it would tackle delayed discharges a decade ago, said: “These disgraceful figures should be a source of shame for successive SNP health secretaries... They have allowed a permanent crisis to exist in Scotland’s hospitals and frontline social care services.”

These are extreme cases and doubtless would be problematic even if delayed discharges were rare. Unfortunately, they are common. In November, 2,020 people were stuck in a hospital in Scotland despite not needing to be there and the average delay was nearly a month.

Ambulances turned into hospital beds

This is not good for them and it is terrible for the NHS. A lack of beds is one reason why patients end up being treated in corridors. Sometimes they cannot even get into the building, and instead wait in a queue of ambulances outside. And ambulances providing a substitute ‘hospital bed’ are obviously unable to respond to 999 calls.

After wasting much time and £28 million on their grandiose National Care Service plan, in December, the SNP finally announced a plan to spend £100m to create an extra 2,000 ‘Hospital at Home’ beds. This sounds like a solution, but what on Earth took them so long?