A&E departments ‘stuck in permanent crisis’, ministers warned
Scotland’s accident and emergency departments are “stuck in a permanent crisis” ministers have been told, as figures showed more than a third of patients are still waiting longer than the target time.
The Scottish Government came under fire despite the latest weekly figures showing a small improvement in A&E wait times performance.
That is up from 64.5% the previous week, and is better than the weekly average of 64.7% achieved in 2024.
But it continues to be well below the Scottish Government target of having 95% of patients dealt with within four hours.
There were 8,532 patients in the emergency department for longer than the target time in the week ending February 16.
This included 2,709 (11%) patients who spent more than eight hours in A&E, and 1,061 (4.3%) who waited for at least 12 hours.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said Health Secretary Neil Gray should “be deeply ashamed that, even as the winter pressures on our NHS recede, more than a third of A&E patients are still not being seen within the SNP’s target time”.
The MSP, who is also a GP, added: “These delays lead inevitably to avoidable deaths – and stem from the poor workforce planning and inadequate recovery plans of successive SNP health secretaries.
“Patients and overstretched staff continue to be let down by nationalist ministers, who must ensure less money is spent on needless NHS bureaucracy so that more can reach the front line.”
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said it had been “yet another week of carnage in Scotland’s hospital corridors under this incompetent SNP Government”.
She added: “After nearly 18 years in power, the SNP cannot fix the mess it has created.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was also critical of the Scottish Government, saying: “Under the SNP, A&E departments seem to be stuck in a state of permanent crisis.
“These pressure cooker conditions for staff will only end one way: mass burnout.”
He claimed the Government’s NHS recovery plan had “completely failed to improve conditions”, adding: “We cannot cut A&E waits if we don’t fix the problems in social care and free up space in hospital.”
Mr Gray said A&E departments “are still facing sustained demand”, with the Health Secretary adding that “we continue to see higher-than-normal levels of hospital occupancy”.
He added: “This situation is not unique to Scotland, with all other UK nations experiencing similar pressures.
“Our NHS staff are continuing to work hard to ensure patients are seen as quickly as possible.
“However, we know some patients are waiting too long for care and this is not good enough – we are determined to drive improvements.
“Our Budget will provide £200 million to address backlogs, improve capacity and remove blockages keeping patients in hospital longer than necessary.
“We are determined to shift the balance of care from acute to community.
“We will help bring about this change by ensuring every A&E front door has a frailty service, so that older people with complex needs can get the care they need.”