A total of 19 elderly patients are trapped in Ninewells Hospital because of the failure of Fife Council to provide alternative care packages.
One has been ready to move on for more than four weeks, while eight of the 19 were pronounced medically fit to leave hospital last month but had nowhere suitable to go.
The local authority has come in for criticism from a Fife health boss claiming Fife’s hospitals were stretched to the limit due to delayed discharges and Fife Council’s failure to provide care packages.
NHS Tayside’s deputy chief executive Gerry Marr said there were 19 patients from Fife who were delayed discharges.
“We are looking to place them back in to Fife,” said Mr Marr. “It has caused a bit more pressure on beds in the last week.”
The health boss revealed planned operations had to be cancelled on two days this week because of pressure on beds, not only from the number of delayed discharges.
“The sheer volume of admissions led us to cancel elective surgery yesterday and on Monday,” said Mr Marr.
The icy roads and pavements had also led to “an unusually high level of orthopaedic trauma” broken bones resulting in emergency surgery.
“We have lost elective activity to accommodate our emergency surgical pressures,” he said.
“This week has shown quite a peak in activity in trauma and orthopaedics because people are looking outside the window thinking it looks okay but it’s very icy.
“Yesterday in particular we had quite a high level of trauma admissions into orthopaedics in Ninewells and PRI (Perth Royal Infirmary).”
He said additional pressures came from ward closures due to the winter vomiting bug, which reduced the available number of beds for new admissions.
Fife Council had not responded by the time The Courier went to press.