Proportion of patients waiting half a day in A&E continues to rise
The number of patients waiting at least half a day to be seen at A&E in Scotland has continued to rise, new figures show.
In the week up to November 5, 1,660 patients (6.7%) spent more than 12 hours in an emergency department before being seen and subsequently admitted, discharged or transferred.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) data also showed the number of patients waiting eight hours increased to 15% – 3,735 people – higher than March 26, when the figure was 14.5%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those seen within four hours – the Scottish Government target time – reached its lowest level since January, with 60.9% (15,129) seen within this timeframe in the week ending November 5.
In January 2023, the last time the figure fell so low, 57.6% were seen within this time, despite ministers aiming for 95% of patients to be treated within four hours.
During the month of September, there were 132,713 unplanned A&E attendances across Scotland, with 92,880 – 70% – seen within four hours.
It means the trajectory continues to decline in recent times despite showing signs of improvement.
And 9.4% of patients (12,193) spent more than eight hours in A&E, while 3.4% (4,418) waited 12 hours.
Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “I am clear that A&E performance is not where it needs to be and we continue to work closely with boards to support delivery of sustained improvements.
“Hospital bed occupancy continues to have an impact on performance. To address this, the delayed discharge and hospital occupancy action plan is being implemented at pace, delivering actions we know work to ensure patients receive the right care in the right setting.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with health boards to develop services and support sustained improvement.”
Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Tory health spokesman, said the waiting times were “beyond disgraceful”.
He added: “More and more patients are suffering intolerable delays at A&E thanks to the SNP’s failure to get a grip on this situation, with waiting times now their worst since the beginning of January.
“Given the devastation we saw on the NHS frontline last winter, these latest figures are truly terrifying for staff and patients, as all signs point to this winter being even worse.
“As we rapidly head towards that period, it is now the shocking norm that at least a third of patients wait over four hours to be seen at A&E, delays that means patients’ lives are on the line.
“Michael Matheson should accept that Humza Yousaf’s flimsy NHS recovery plan has failed to remobilise frontline services and rip it up.”