Scotland’s A&E waiting times improve against performance targets

Waiting time performances in Scotland’s emergency departments have improved – but remain slightly below their 2023 high.

NHS data for the week ending March 5 showed that of the 23,966 people who attended an accident and emergency (A&E) department, 69% were seen and subsequently admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

This is just below the year high recorded in the last week of January, where 70.3% were seen within the target time – the highest proportion of patients treated within four hours since May 2022.

But the target had slipped in recent weeks, with 64.4% and 64.5% in the final weeks of February.

And it is still significantly below the Scottish Government target of having 95% of cases in A&E dealt with within four hours.

In the week ending March 5, 7,429 patients waited more than four hours, according to Public Health Scotland data, with 2,300 of those waiting more than eight hours.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Waiting times in Scotland’s A&E wards remain appalling and unacceptable, despite a modest improvement as the peak winter pressures on the NHS ease.

“The reality is that more than 30% of patients are not being seen within four hours, and close to 1,000 people in the space of just seven days waited more than half a day. Tragically, lives are being needlessly lost because of these excess delays.

“Patients and hard-working frontline staff continue to be let down by Humza Yousaf’s flimsy recovery plans and the dire workforce planning of successive SNP health secretaries, which has left Scotland’s NHS dangerously overstretched.”

Responding to the data, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are doing everything we can to support the health service through the remainder of the most challenging winter in its history.

“While we continue to see fluctuations in figures from week to week and month to month, I am pleased to see an improvement in weekly performance.

“The entire health and social care system is still under pressure given the impact of the Covid pandemic, which continues to impact on performance.”

He said the Scottish Government is increasing NHS 24 staffing and providing up to £8 million for health boards to alleviate pressure from delayed discharge.