Thousands have waited more than a day in A&E – Sarwar

Almost 9,000 Scots spent more than a day waiting in A&E departments during the first nine months of this year, Anas Sarwar has said as he clashed with John Swinney over the NHS.

The Scottish Labour leader raised hospital waiting times during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, saying another 200 patients have had to wait more than two days.

Mr Swinney said his Government is investing in the NHS and he urged Mr Sarwar to engage in good faith in the Scottish Budget negotiations.

Mr Sarwar opened his line of questions by saying: “Statistics obtained by Scottish Labour show that almost 9,000 Scots waited over 24 hours in A&E up to the end of September this year.

“That’s a full day waiting for treatment. That is more than the entire number waiting longer than 24 hours in 2023.

“Unbelievably, over 200 Scots waited more than two days in A&E.”

He said the First Minister had attempted to “play down” the scale of the problem.

Mr Swinney said the Government has invested in the NHS beyond what was necessary in the Barnett formula, which allocates much of Scotland’s public finance levels.

He said: “This Government has been prepared to invest in excess of Barnett consequentials because we have taken tough decisions.”

He acknowledged the NHS faces “challenges” and apologised to anyone who has waited longer than necessary.

But Mr Sarwar hit back, saying the situation has “got worse” under Mr Swinney’s leadership.

The recent UK Budget will result in an additional £1.72 billion for Scotland’s NHS next year, he said, and he called for the money to be spent on bringing down long waiting times.

Mr Swinney said NHS activity is increasing, arguing further investment can only come if the Government is able to pass its own Budget.

The make-up of the Scottish Parliament means the SNP will need to rely on votes from another party in order to pass its Budget legislation, which will be published in early December.

The First Minister said the Scottish Labour leader is not an “innocent bystander” in the Budget negotiations, adding: “(Mr Sarwar) should take seriously the offer from the Government to engage around the Budget process.”