THE price-tag for delayed discharges from hospitals in Scotland has topped £1.2 billion over the last decade, Scottish Labour said today.

Despite then health secretary Shona Robison pledging to eradicate the practice in 2015, Public Heath Scotland figures show that a staggering four million bed days have been lost since 2014, racking up a bill that Scottish Labour estimates to total £1.2bn.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “This whopping cost to the taxpayer has built up on Nicola Sturgeon’s watch and the disastrous [former] health secretary Humza Yousaf has allowed it to soar.

“We cannot have patients left in hospital unnecessarily and the public purse drained due to poor provision of care for those leaving hospital.

“It’s time for Humza Yousaf to face the music and hand the role over to someone who is prepared to tackle the issue.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with health and social care partnerships to address delays and support people out of acute settings and back into the community or home as quickly as possible.”