A&E patients waiting more than four hours hit new record high in September

The number of Scots who spent longer than the target time of four hours in accident and emergency reached a new record high in September – with almost 52,000 patients kept waiting.

The latest data from Public Health Scotland also showed the number of patients who were in A&E for at least eight hours was the highest on record, with this topping 20,000 for the first time ever.

While the Scottish Government’s target is for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, this was only achieved for 64.9% in September – down from 66.6% in August.

This means that over the course of September, 51,917 patients spent at least four hours in A&E, with 20,138 people – 13.9% of cases – there for a minimum of eight hours.

There were also 8,658 patients – representing 6% of A&E cases over September – waiting 12 hours or more, with this the highest total since January.

As the figures were published, Health Secretary Angela Constance urged the public to “play their part” by going to A&E “only when necessary”.

But Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “It is absolutely shocking that despite the SNP’s repeated promises, the number of people stuck waiting in A&E for both four and eight hours has hit a record high.”

She said A&E departments across Scotland “are completely overwhelmed, with staff facing burnout as a result of the pressures on them”.

She added: “As winter approaches, the demands on our NHS and hardworking staff will only increase further.

“That is why it is imperative that we have a proper winter plan to help the service to cope during this busy period.

“However, we must also see a comprehensive and detailed strategy brought forward to set out how waiting times in A&E will be significantly reduced over the longer term.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs also criticised the Government over the “atrocious figures”, saying they are “further proof the SNP has no clue how to fix the permanent crisis in Scotland’s A&E departments”.

He added: “With winter rapidly approaching, patients and frontline staff deserve better than flimsy plans from the SNP and ministers pretending everything is fine.

“John Swinney needs to stop the spin and get serious about the crisis in A&E, which is spiralling out of control ahead of winter once again under the SNP.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley said that “huge waits at A&E have become a normalised horror story in our NHS”.

The MSP added: “Patients are being left on trolleys on corridors wondering if they’ll ever get the treatment they need.

“Staff and patients are gearing up for another grim winter if ministers don’t act now.

“The Government must get serious about fixing the underlying problems in social care, letting people leave hospital on time, freeing up bed space and getting everyone the care they need.”

Ms Constance said while the pressures facing emergency departments “are not unique to Scotland, these latest figures demonstrate that performance remains below the level we want to see – and this cannot continue”.

The Health Secretary added: “We are taking action through our plan for hospital flow, which includes expanding Hospital at Home services, embedding a home first approach to care, and implementing the ‘discharge without delay’ approach in all health boards this winter.”

Adding that a new public awareness campaign has been launched to “help people access the right care in the right place, at the right time”, Ms Constance said: “We continue to ask people to play their part by using services appropriately – calling 999 only in a genuine emergency, dialling 111 for non-emergencies, and using A&E only when necessary.

“This supports our dedicated health and social care staff, who remain the cornerstone of our winter response and continue to show great resilience and determination.”

Separate weekly figures published by Public Health Scotland show in the week ending October 25, less than three out of five patients in A&E were seen and then admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

This was achieved for 59.1% of patients, down from 60.6% the previous week, with 11,318 waiting longer than four hours.

A total of 4,608 patients – 16.7% of cases – were in A&E for at least eight hours, while 2,169 (7.8% of cases) were there for a minimum of 12 hours.

The number of patients waiting eight or 12 hours as a minimum was up from last week, with both also above the weekly average total recorded in 2025.