Stevenson Welcomes £100m NHS Boost to Tackle Delayed Discharge

Stewart Stevenson, SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, has welcomed a multimillion pound funding boost to help reduce the number of patients waiting to be discharged from hospitals across NHS Grampian.

The £100m NHS funding to be delivered over three years across Scotland, will see £9.12m delivered to NHS Grampian, which includes £3.78m for Aberdeenshire and £1.59m for Moray, to help deliver quality care for people at home and to prevent delays in discharge, as well as preventing admission to hospital.

This latest cash injection follows Health Secretary Shona Robison’s announcement of an additional £65m for NHS frontline services across Scotland last week.

Mr Stevenson said:

“This announcement from the Scottish Government will be welcomed by patients and NHS staff in Aberdeenshire and Moray and is another demonstration of the SNP’s commitment to our health service paying dividends.

“Tackling delayed discharges is a key priority for the NHS – helping not only the individual patients affected who will be able to receive care at home or in a homely setting, but also easing pressure on the system as a whole. Today’s funding announcement is a welcome step in ensuring we can tackle this issue and provide the best possible care.

“The SNP’s record on the NHS is second to none – delivering real results on waiting times and staff numbers, introducing free prescriptions for all and now taking serious action to tackle the problem of delayed discharge.

“At the General Election in May it is vital that we send a strong team of SNP MPs to Westminster to serve Scotland and work to protect Scotland’s budget - and deliver more powers that will enable the Scottish Parliament to further protect and improve our NHS for the future.”