New figures on bed blocking at the Vale of Leven Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital have shown the extent of the SNP’s failure on the NHS, local MSP Jackie Baillie said today.

Official figures released today show that an average of 1,216 beds per day were blocked in Scotland during the winter period.

Figures obtained by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request reveal that an average of 13 beds at the Vale of Leven Hospital and 20 beds at the RAH were blocked each day by patients who were fit enough to return home.

Jackie Baillie MSP called for the SNP Health Secretary to get on top of the growing pressure on our NHS as a matter of urgency.

Jackie said:

“People in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond will be deeply concerned by these figures which reveal the extent of bed blocking at the Vale of Leven Hospital and the RAH. It is unacceptable that patients who are fit to go home are languishing on hospital beds for weeks on end because there is nowhere for them to go. Hardworking NHS staff at the Vale and the RAH are doing everything they can to provide care but they have been let down by the SNP Government in Edinburgh.

“Across Scotland, 1,216 beds were blocked every day during winter. That is more than every adult bed at the new Glasgow Southern General, one of the biggest hospitals in Europe, it is also roughly the same amount of beds the SNP have cut from our hospitals since they came into government.

 “Since taking over the Health brief SNP Minister Shona Robison has repeatedly said that bed blocking would be her key priority -; she needs to actually start getting on top of this huge problem