Tories say NHS ‘teetering on the brink’ after latest A&E waiting times figures

NHS care in Scotland is “teetering on the brink”, the Tories claimed, in the wake of the latest “appalling” performance data from the country’s accident and emergency departments.

New figures showed that for the week ending February 2, 61.9% of patients in A&E were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target time.

That is down from the previous week’s performance of 62.5% and continues to be well below the Scottish Government’s target of having 95% of patients admitted, transferred or discharged inside four hours.

However the figures from Public Health Scotland showed fewer patients having longer waits, of eight or 12 hours, than the previous week.

While the data showed that the four-hour target was missed for 10,096 of the 26,512 Scots who went to the emergency department in the week ending February 1, the number waiting eight hours or more fell from 4,223 patients (16.1%) to 4,130 (15.6%)

Similarly the number of patients waiting a minimum of 12 hours fell from 2,168 (8.3%) to 2,059 (7.8%) in the week ending February 1.

The Tory MSP said: “These appalling and worsening statistics expose an NHS teetering on the brink after decades of SNP mismanagement.

“Every single week, thousands of patients are left languishing in packed A&E departments. We know this leads to people dying before their time.

“John Swinney refuses to admit our health service is in full-blown crisis mode. He’s living in a fantasy world while patients pay the price.”

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie was also critical, saying: “Thousands of patients are still facing unacceptably long waits in A&E departments, with this SNP government having failed to meet its target of having 95% of patients seen within four hours since July 2020.

“That is almost six years of abject failure, with progress still nowhere near good enough to close the gap and ensure that patients are able to get the help they need, at a timescale promised by SNP ministers.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “For years now under this SNP Government we have seen waiting times consistently stuck at crisis levels.

“It is ridiculous that staff have been left to deal with these extreme pressures for years on end. The Scottish Government needs to take action now.”

Arguing that “you cannot fix the NHS and bring down A&E waits without fixing social care” Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “A&E departments are backed up, because there are so many people who are stuck in hospital and unable to leave because the care package they need is not available.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “While the number of people facing the longest waits has fallen, it is clear our A&E departments are facing sustained pressures.

“Health boards continue to report higher levels of hospital occupancy which is impacting on patient flow and leading to delays at the front door.

“This situation is not unique to Scotland with all other UK nations experiencing similar pressures.”

The Scottish Government is “investing over £220 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges,” the spokesperson said.

They added: “To support winter activity, we are providing up to £20 million to fund increased social care and reduce pressure on the hospital front door, to make sure people get the right care in the right place.”