How we calculate our figures

The average number of beds occupied per day is calculated by dividing the total monthly number of delayed discharge bed days by the number of days in the calendar month.

We consider this daily average a better statistic for comparing month-on-month differences as the number of days in a month varies.

The percentage change is based on rounded figures.

Effects of COVID-19 on figures

The measures put in place to respond to COVID-19 have affected the delayed discharge figures in NHSScotland.

The marked fall in delayed discharges during 2020 is likely to be due to patients being moved out of hospital to increase capacity.

Definitions we use

Delay reasons

Since April 2016, following the integration of health and social care partnerships, delays are reported in three main categories.

Delays due to Health and social care reasons and Patient, family and carer related reasons can be aggregated into a single Standard delay reasons category. 

Code 9 complex reasons can be split into:

• code 9 - Adults with incapacity (AWI) reasons
• code 9 - other reasons

The latest data definitions and national data requirements came into effect on 1 July 2016. See data definitions and reporting for more information.

The figures in this publication are not directly comparable with other UK countries. This is due to differences in definitions and data reporting.

Statistical accreditation

This is an Accredited official statistics publication

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Accredited official statistics status means that the official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. They are identified by the quality mark shown above.

All official statistics should comply with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice which promotes the production and dissemination of official statistics that inform decision making.

Once statistics become accredited official statistics, it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.

These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in September 2011. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘Accredited official statistics'.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Visit the UK Statistics Authority website for more information about the Code of Practice and Accredited official statistics.

Visit our website for further information about our statistics and PHS as an Official Statistics producer.

Pre-release access

Under terms of the "Pre-release Access to Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008", PHS is obliged to publish information on those receiving pre-release access ("pre-release access" refers to statistics in their final form prior to publication). The standard maximum pre-release access is five working days. Shown below are details of those receiving standard pre-release access.

Standard pre-release access:

• Scottish Government Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
• NHS board chief executives
• NHS board communication leads
• Chief Officers of Integrated Joint Boards formed under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 (external website).

More information about delayed discharges

Find out more information about delayed discharges, including data definitions and reporting.

About Public Health Scotland (PHS)

PHS is a knowledge-based and intelligence driven organisation with a critical reliance on data and information to enable it to be an independent voice for the public’s health, leading collaboratively and effectively across the Scottish public health system, accountable at local and national levels, and providing leadership and focus for achieving better health and wellbeing outcomes for the population. Our statistics comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics in terms of trustworthiness, high quality and public value. This also means that we keep data secure at all stages, through collection, processing, analysis and output production, and adhere to the Office for National Statistics ‘Five Safes’ of data privacy.