A&E waiting times improve slightly, figures show

Waiting times in Scotland’s emergency departments have improved slightly as more than two thirds have been seen within four hours.

Released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) on Tuesday, new figures show 68% of people who visited A&E in the week up to September 15 were seen within the target time, up from 65.5% the previous week.

The figure was the best since early June.

The Scottish Government aims for 95% of attendees to be seen within four hours – a target which has not been hit since the early months of the pandemic.

The proportion of people waiting longer than eight hours also fell from 11.3% the previous week to 10.1%.

Those waiting more than 12 hours also dropped from 4.5% to 4.2%.

Health Secretary Neil Gray welcomed the improvement, but accepted performance still needs to get better.

“Latest figures show over two thirds of people continue to be seen in our emergency departments within four hours,” he said.

“Although we have the best performing core A&E departments in the UK, we would like performance to improve and are working closely with health boards to ensure sustained progress.

“Services are facing sustained pressure and this is not unique to Scotland – with similar challenges being felt right across the UK.

“This year’s Scottish Budget provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards.”

The figures came in the hours before the Health Secretary was due to lay out the winter preparedness plan for the NHS.