A&E units hit key waiting times target
HOSPITAL accident-and-emergency departments have met a key waiting-times target for the first time in almost a year.
The latest figures showed that in the week ending Sunday, June 11, 95.3% of patients in A&E were either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
It is the first time the Scottish Government’s interim waitingtimes target has been met since the week ending July 31, last year.
Health Secretary Shona Robison thanked health workers for the “good performance” and said: “Scotland has had the bestperforming emergency departments in the UK for more than two years.
“This has only been possible thanks to the hard work of NHS and social care workers.”
She added: “We have seen a steady reduction in average waits over the last few weeks and it is encouraging that these weekly statistics show performance above the four-hour standard.
“However, we know that performance fluctuates from week to week and the challenge now is to ensure that we maintain this target on a consistent basis.
“We will continue to work closely with boards to implement the six essential actions for unscheduled care, which are helping to minimise long waits and improve patient flow through hospitals and into community care.
“I recently announced an additional £9million to fund this work and I am confident that will lead to sustained improvements.”
According to NHS statistics, A&E departments dealt with 25,832 cases in the week ending June 11, with only 40 patients (0.2%) having to spend more than eight hours in the emergency department while less than 0.1% (six patients) waited 12 hours or more.
All but three of Scotland’s regional health boards achieved the target, but in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 91.6% of A&E patients were dealt with within four hours while NHS Ayrshire and Arran recorded 92.5% and NHS Shetland was just below the target with 94.9%.