Woman stuck in hospital for more than 400 days amid bed blocking 'misery'

Margaret MacGill, a 62-year old former nurse and social care worker, was rushed to hospital in November 2024 after becoming paralysed from the waist down with a rare spinal condition known as cauda equina syndrome.

However, despite her home being adapted with ramps and a new extension, she has since been unable to leave hospital in Wick due to a lack of carers.

Her case was raised by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton during First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) in Holyrood on Thursday.

It came after a report found delayed discharge - also known as bed blocking - cost the NHS at least £440 million last year, with one in every nine beds in Scottish healthcare settings occupied by someone who does not need to be there.

People can be delayed in hospital for a number of reasons, but the most common is the lack of a social care package.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Margaret has been in hospital, first in Raigmore, now in Wick, for over 400 days. The family home was adapted and ready for her last April. The ramps were installed. Doors widened. A whole extension’s been built.

“What’s missing are the carers. The staff she needs to drop by to help her. So, Margaret is still in hospital.

“Her husband Cathol told me this morning that she is a positive and vibrant woman, but she is struggling. She just wants to get out of hospital.”

Mr Swinney said he was sorry to hear about Ms MacGill’s case. He said the challenge was “the availability of carers”, adding: “I acknowledge that is a difficulty in many areas of Scotland, but especially in rural areas where the working age population is not as large as we would want it to be.”

The First Minister said there was a “very active focus on meeting the social care challenge in the Highlands”.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said similar cases are happening “the length and breadth of the country”, adding: “Scotland deserves better than this.” He said it had now been 10 years since the SNP promised to eradicate delayed discharge.

Scottish Labour said the issue was causing “misery for patients”. Speaking during FMQs, the party’s leader Anas Sarwar said the NHS was not safe in Mr Swinney’s hands.

The First Minister said tackling delayed discharge is a priority for the Scottish Government. He said it only affected 3 per cent of patients in the health system.

An Audit Scotland report released on Thursday showed more than 720,000 bed days were lost in 2024/25 due to delayed discharge.

“Despite only around 3 per cent of all people discharged from hospital experiencing a delay, each delay has a detrimental effect on the individual’s physical and mental wellbeing,” it said.

The report said the Government and Public Health Scotland should produce an estimate of the total costs of delayed discharge, as well as assessing the current measures in place to stem the problem.