Thousands of elderly patients waited over 12 hours in A&E last year – Lib Dems

Thousands of elderly patients waited longer than 12 hours at A&E last year, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said.

Figures obtained by the party using freedom of information laws show 736 people aged 95 and older waited more than 12 hours at A&E from January to October 2025.

The data also shows 8,614 people aged 85-94 waited over 12 hours at A&E, with 14,281 people aged 75-84 and 11,542 aged 65-74 experiencing the same long wait.

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Twelve-hour waits did not exist when the SNP came to power, but they are now the norm for thousands of older patients, putting some of the country’s most vulnerable people at serious risk.

“Rapid diagnosis is essential for preventing additional complications, but waiting for so long makes that virtually impossible.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans in their manifesto to bring down waits at A&E by investing in social care, enabling people to be discharged quicker and free up more beds in hospitals.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “The only way to bring down catastrophic A&E waits is to fix the broken social care system.

“Hospitals are full of people who can’t leave, despite being medically ready, because there are not enough care packages and care workers to get them home. This, in turn, means fewer beds and longer waits for new patients arriving at A&Es.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to raise the wages of care workers and attract more people into the profession, helping free up essential space in A&Es.

“No matter where you are, you can vote for that plan in May by backing us on your second, peach-coloured ballot paper.”

Health Secretary and SNP candidate for Airdrie Neil Gray said his party is “working tirelessly” to improve delayed discharge.

He said: “The SNP is focused on improving Scotland’s NHS and has invested a record £22.5 billion in frontline services this year, with our A&E the best performing on these islands.

“We are working tirelessly to improve delayed discharge and are clear no-one in Scotland should have to wait for crucial care and support. That’s why the SNP’s budget is investing over £2.3 billion in social care this year.

“The reality is our current social care system is under pressure as a result of increased demand, a hard Tory Brexit, a decade of austerity and crippling immigration policies introduced by Keir Starmer’s Labour Government.

“Our social care system needs to work better for everyone and under John Swinney’s strong leadership, we’ve seen what can be achieved within our NHS – long waits are down, GP numbers are up, and thousands more operations are being performed.”