Achi news desk-
The weekly data only covers larger accident and emergency departments, rather than smaller local accident and minor injury units.
The figures, from Public Health Scotland, show that just under two-thirds of people who attended emergency departments were seen, treated, and subsequently discharged, admitted or transfer to another hospital within the target time of four hours.
This was down from 65.3% in the previous week, and remains well below the 95% compliance target.
More than one in 10 (13%) people stayed in the Emergency Department for more than eight hours, and one in 20 (5.4%) were there for more than 12 hours – both percentages up slightly on the week previous
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The main obstacle is the lack of hospital beds which hinders the flow of patients out of the emergency department to a specialist ward for treatment.
This can also create a bottleneck for patients arriving by ambulance, who have to wait for a space to become available before they can be transferred to the accident and emergency department.
Separate figures from the Scottish Ambulance Service show that one in ten ambulances bringing patients to A&E in the last week of March waited more than an hour and 40 minutes before they could complete the process of transferring patients and getting back on the road.
In some parts of the country, the delay was significantly worse.
At Ayr University Hospital, one in 10 ambulances waited outside for more than four hours and eight minutes, while Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock had the worst ambulance turnaround times in Scotland with median waiting times of one hour and eight minutes a week end of March.
In Glasgow, less than half (49.3%) of people attending Queen Elizabeth University Hospital met the four-hour target to be seen, treated and leave A&E.
A total of 269 people spent more than eight hours in its emergency department, including 70 who were there for more than half a day – which equates to 13.8% and 3.6% of its visits at the end of March.
The median turnaround time for ambulances in the unit was 55 minutes, with one in 10 waiting outside with patients for more than an hour and 41 minutes.
It comes days after Healthcare Improvement Scotland published a new review into patient safety in the department after dozens of advisory whistleblowers raised the alarm.
Responding to the latest accident and emergency statistics, Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, said the situation was “getting worse rather than better”.
He added: “Neil Gray inherited an NHS in turmoil thanks to the mismanagement of his predecessors, including Humza Yousaf – but he cannot waste any more time tackling this crisis.
“Urgent action is needed to ease the pressure on A&E departments and keep patients safe – including support for staff and a real plan to tackle delayed discharges.”
Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the Scottish Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, noted that performance at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – where 60% of patients waited more than four hours – was the worst since the winter.
He added: “It is completely unacceptable that these already deplorable waiting times are getting significantly worse well into the spring.
“But it is a legacy of dire workforce planning from a succession of SNP health secretaries and Humza Yousaf’s flimsy Covid recovery plan.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “It’s been years since our accident and emergency departments have seen anything approaching the levels they should be operating at.
“With thousands facing long waits every week it is clear that the SNP have failed to help A&E departments improve.
“Patients and staff alike deserve better than this, so we urgently need to see meaningful action taken to reverse this situation.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The pressures being felt on our accident and emergency departments are not unique to Scotland, with similar challenges being felt by emergency departments across the UK and beyond .
“We know that the health service remains under constant pressure and waiting times are longer than we want them to be for too many patients.
“We will continue to collaborate with health boards to develop services and support continuous improvement.”
