Scotland’s social care system has reached 'breaking point' and is 'piling pressure' on NHS
Scottish Labour has warned that ‘thousands of Scots are stuck in limbo waiting for the social care support they need’
Ministers have been warned that Scotland’s social care system has reached “breaking point” and is “piling pressure” on the NHS.
The warning comes after the latest figures show more than 9,000 people in Scotland are waiting for a social care assessment or a care at home package, with an increase in so-called delayed discharges.
Demand for social care packages has spiked sharply over the past year, with the estimated number of hours people are waiting to receive rising by around 26 per cent in the space of a year.
Recent figures have confirmed that this year saw the worst A&E performance for any May on record and a rise in delayed discharge compared to the previous year.
Scottish Labour has argued these trends demonstrate the pressure social care waits are putting on hospitals.
Health and social care spokesperson, Jackie Baillie said: “Thousands of Scots are stuck in limbo waiting for the social care support they need to live their lives.
“Social care is at breaking point, and it is piling pressure on our entire NHS.”
She added: “We will never fix the chaos in our NHS without dealing with the crisis in social care.
“The SNP needs to properly support social care services and deliver fair pay and conditions for workers.”
Figures show that in total, 9,354 people were waiting for a social care assessment for a package of care or waiting for a care at home package, as of June 1. Of those people, 6,454 were waiting on an assessment while 2,900 had been assessed and were waiting for their care at home package.
Of the people waiting for care at home following an assessment of their needs, the total estimated number of weekly hours of care that they were waiting to receive was 33,140. This represents an increase of just over 26 per cent from the estimated number of hours at this time last year, in May 2025.
In May 2026, there were 59,429 days spent in hospital across Scotland by people whose discharge was delayed. This represents a 4 per cent increase from the number of delayed days in May 2025 when 57,399 days in hospital were tallied up.
May was also the worst May on record for meeting the Scottish government's flagship target for waits at accident and emergency departments.
There were 151,019 attendances at A&E in NHS Scotland, compared to 140,055 the previous month, with 137,702 the monthly average for 2025.
A total of 67.7 per cent of A&E attendances were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours - in compliance with the SNP’s revised four-hour A&E access standard. This compares to 69 per cent the previous months and the 68.9 per cent monthly average for 2025.
The performance is the worst of any May on record.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Nobody should have to wait longer than necessary to access social care support.
“The 2026-27 Scottish Budget includes funding of almost £22.5 billion for the Health and Social Care portfolio. This includes £2.3 billion for social care, exceeding the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase spending by 25% by the end of the last Parliamentary term.
“Recent figures show sustained progress in reducing NHS waiting times, and we are determined to improve A&E performance and tackle delays for patients.”
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