The number of patients held up in hospital when they are clinically ready for discharge has been rising steadily, official figures show.
Health Secretary Shona Robison has described the rise in delayed discharges - commonly known as bed blocking - as "disappointing".
The number of beds unnecessarily occupied has risen steadily from 1,095 in April to 1,258 in September.
Ms Robison said: "The Scottish Government has been clear that tackling delayed discharge is one of our key priorities for the health service.
"This is a significant challenge and in January we announced a £100 million investment over three years to help local integration partnerships tackle delayed discharge.
"Good progress has been made since then, with the data for this August showing the number of occupied bed days has fallen by 4,000 when compared to the same month last year - an 8% reduction.
"In addition, the total number of delays and those delays longer than three days have also come down from September 2014.
"However, it is disappointing to see delayed discharge numbers increasing from the previous month.
"Local authorities and NHS boards must do more to ensure the right care is available for people in the community when they are fit to be discharged from hospital."
Labour public service spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "We know Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament last month when she pretended her Government had delivered on its delayed discharge targets.
"Now we see from today's figures that the problem is getting worse compared to last month.
"Too many elderly patients are stuck in hospital even though they are clinically ready to go home.
"That's bad for the patient, but it also costs the NHS a fortune in extra care. It's time for the SNP Government to plan for the long-term on our NHS."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume said: "It is disappointing that the limited progress we have seen on bed blocking appears to have stalled.
"Despite repeated claims from SNP ministers that they have a plan to deal with this problem, bed blocking continues to be a huge drain on resources.
"Hundreds of patients are being kept in hospital weeks longer than necessary. Tens of thousands of bed days are being lost and with winter round the corner, the pressure on services is only likely to increase.
"It is time that SNP ministers started taking this seriously."
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