Thousands of patients go missing from NHS care

Police have carried out more than 5,500 investigations into patients who have been reported missing from NHS facilities in Scotland since 2019.

The figures were outlined in a written response from Keith Brown, the justice secretary, to Jamie Greene, the Conservative MSP.

Greene, who is the justice spokesman for the Conservatives, said the figures gave serious cause for concern. He said that the complete figure could be much higher because the data provided only included those reported to police. He urged Brown and Humza Yousaf, the health secretary, to provide adequate resources for policing and the health sector to ensure vulnerable patients were not slipping through the cracks.

Greene said: “These figures are deeply alarming. Relatives expect their loved ones to be safe while they are staying, or being treated in, an NHS facility. It gives serious cause for concern that over 200 investigations have had to be launched in just the last few years to determine the whereabouts of young people who went missing from NHS grounds.”

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Source: The Times, 3 January 2023