A&E waiting time performance deteriorates again

More than a quarter of patients waited longer than four hours to be seen at accident and emergency departments at the start of December.

The latest accident and emergency statistics have been published by Public Health Scotland (PA) (PA Archive)

Accident and emergency waiting time performance in Scotland has deteriorated again, with 27.6% of patients having to wait longer than four hours to be seen.

The latest A&E figures for the start of December reveal the lowest proportion of patients seen, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target since October.

A total of 6,588 people waited longer than four hours to be seen, including 1,522 patients who had to wait more than eight hours and 461 who were left waiting for over 12 hours.

The Scottish Government’s target of 95% of patients being seen within four hours has not been met since July 2020 and the 72.4% achieved in the week ending December 5 is the seventh-worst week on record.

Attendance numbers at Scotland’s A&E departments remain below pre-pandemic levels, with 23,854 patients in the first week in December 2021, 3,533 fewer than the equivalent week in December 2019.

NHS Forth Valley was once again the worst-performing health board as just 48.2% of A&E attendees were seen within four hours, although this is up from the 44.7% recorded the previous week.

NHS Grampian and NHS Borders both saw 64.3% of A&E patients in the target time, followed by NHS Lanarkshire with 68.9%.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Once again, these waiting time figures are appalling – and Humza Yousaf seems utterly incapable of doing anything to turn around the crisis.

“He has pleaded with the public to think carefully before going to A&E, urged them to contact GP services instead of coming to emergency wards wherever possible.

“And yet – even with the wonderful assistance of UK armed forces – he still can’t get anywhere near the SNP’s target of 95% of patients being seen within four hours.

“Appeals to the public or flimsy recovery plans simply won’t cut it when Scotland’s A&E wards are at breaking point.

“A crisis of this magnitude demands a strategic, thorough plan – something the Health Secretary still hasn’t produced.”

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “The NHS remains in a perilous state and these lengthy waits are putting lives on the line.

“Despite warning after warning from clinicians, Humza Yousaf has failed to take action to tackle spiralling waiting times and the ongoing A&E crisis.

“These are not mere numbers on a spreadsheet, these are the people of Scotland who deserve medical treatment in their time of need.”

She added: “The Health Secretary needs to take his fingers out of his ears, listen to staff and patients, and act.”