THE number of people kept in hospital longer than they need to be last month was three times the number delayed this time last year.

A total of 58 hospital beds were being taken up by East Lothian patients who were ready for release in August, compared to just 20 this time last year.

A report to East Lothian’s Integration Joint Board, which has responsibility for health and social care in the county, said part of the increase was down to the decision to suspend admissions to Tranent Care Home.

However, it was also revealed that the local authority was unable to find nearly 1,800 hours of home care required each week by people needing assistance.

The board was told the county faced “significant problems” with providing care at home hours for those in need of them and was currently overhauling its procedures for care at home providers and people who need care.

The report on delayed discharge figures said the decision to suspend admissions to Tranent Care Home, which the Courier revealed earlier this month had been heavily criticised in a damning care inspection review, meant 11 beds in the 60-bed home were lying empty.

It said between the additional pressure of losing the beds and the need to find care at home providers, the figures were high, but insisted East Lothian was improving.

It said: “Delayed discharges are part of a picture of the health of the whole system.

“Account also needs to be taken of hospital admissions and length of stay in hospital. East Lothian’s performance in relation to emergency admissions has been improving; however, our residents in hospital have more occupied bed days than our peer partnerships, which is partly a reflection of our historically poorer performance on delayed discharges.”

It added: “The current Help To Live at Home framework is currently unable to provide around 1,786 hours of care each week.”

Councillor Stuart Currie, member of the board, has been critical of delayed discharge figures in East Lothian.

He pointed to the fact that Midlothian was able to keep its number of delayed discharges low, questioning why it was so much harder in East Lothian.

Mr Currie said: “The only conclusion anyone in the street can come to is that we are not doing enough. We are failing people and families. Regardless of the financial cost, there is a human cost to this which is awful.

“We have to address this issue.”