The data for 2010-11 revealed that increasingly elderly patients were readmitted in hospital for emergency care. The figures revealed by the Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said 29,013 elderly patients who were in hospital for medical care got readmitted due to emergency. Another 11,873 aged people above 65 years who underwent surgery had to have an emergency readmission.

The most important thing is all of them had to be readmitted with four weeks of their hospital discharge. This has raised concerns among opposition politicians. They are of the view that doctors might be sending elderly patients’ home as they are concentrating on reducing waiting times agenda.

If this is the case then it is important for the government to ask doctors to concentrate only on patients quality care and should discharge them only when they are medically fit to be released from hospital.

Liberal Democrat MP Alison McInnes said, "Older people can be vulnerable, especially after a stay in hospital, and we need to ensure that they are only released from hospital when they are ready to go home, especially around this time of year”.

Such is not the case, said a Scottish Government spokesman. They have been closely monitoring the readmission list of hospitals and till now they have not noticed any significant rise in the number.

Doctors make conscious decision about when to admit patient and when to discharge them. Their thinking is elderly patients could get better treatment in community. This approach has been adopted by maximum doctors, who want resources should be made available in community rather than in hospitals.

This would not only help patients as they would be able to get desired treatment at local level but would also help doctors in managing their work in a better way.