A&E wait times worsen as flu cases put ‘additional pressure’ on NHS

High numbers of flu cases are putting “additional pressure” on the NHS, the Health Secretary warned as new figures showed more than two-fifths of patients in accident and emergency waited longer than the target time.

Neil Gray said there are “higher numbers of people attending A&E departments” during the current flu outbreak.

His comments came as the latest weekly figures showed waiting times in A&E departments worsened, with Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane declaring: “These terrible statistics are a new low for SNP ministers.

“On their watch, the number of patients being seen within four hours at A&E is continuing to plummet and we know lives are being lost due to their incompetence.”

Of the 27,866 patients who went to accident and emergency in the first week of December, 59.2% were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

This was the lowest figure since the last full week of December 2024, when 58.9% of patients were dealt with inside the target time.

The latest figure is also down from 61.2% the previous week, and below the 64.7% weekly average that was recorded in 2024.

Performance continues to be significantly below the Scottish Government’s target of having 95% of patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

The Public Health Scotland data covering the week ending December 7 shows 11,381 people spent more than four hours in the emergency department.

This includes 4,670 patients who were there for eight hours or more – 16.8% of cases.

Meanwhile, 2,344 patients – 8.4% of cases that week – spent a minimum of 12 hours in A&E.

Both these totals are up from the previous week and are higher than the average weekly total recorded in 2024.

Mr Gray said: “Our A&E departments are facing sustained pressure, resulting in current A&E performance below the levels we all wish to see.

“We are seeing higher numbers of people attending A&E departments and higher hospital admissions with flu compared to this time last year, which is adding additional pressure to the system.”

He urged people to get vaccinated against flu if possible, saying: “Vaccination remains the best protection against winter flu – we encourage everyone who is eligible to come get protected.”

Mr Gray stressed the current situation is “not unique to Scotland”, adding all other UK nations are “experiencing similar pressures”.

But Dr Gulhane said: “With a brutal wave of flu hammering our health service, the situation is only going to get worse.

“The buck stops with Neil Gray as Health Secretary. Instead of preparing our NHS ahead of winter, Neil Gray was sitting on his hands and hoping for the best.

“He urgently needs to get a grip of this crisis in A&E before our NHS collapses in the coming weeks.”

Speaking for the Scottish Government, Mr Gray added: “We want to drive improvements and are working closely with health boards to ensure they have the support in place to cope with peaks in demand.

“We are investing £200 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges.

“This investment is supporting the development of front door frailty services in every health board in Scotland and expanding Hospital at Home capacity to at least 2,000 beds by the end of 2026.

“These measures will help us shift the focus of care from acute to community.”