‘Inaction has led to latest crisis at RAH’
MSP hits out at lack of ‘bold plan’
A politician has confessed he is “deeply worried” over warnings issued by NHS chiefs that patients should avoid Paisley’s A&E department once again.
Labour’s Shadow Health spokesman Paul O’Kane says “there’s no clearer sign of inaction” than NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plea to residents to steer clear of casualty visits unless their case is urgent of a life threatening nature.
It comes after we revealed yesterday how waiting times are continuing to grow as A&E performance plummets to new lows.
The struggling Royal Alexandra Hospital, which has notched up a series of poor A&E figures against target since the pandemic began, plunged to new depths as the latest data revealed the site clocked up the second worst A&E performance in Scotland for the second time since December last week.
Figures for the week ending March 13 revealed just 49.8 per cent of the 1,112 patients who attended the RAH’s emergency department were seen in line with the Scottish Government’s four hour target.
Some 95 per cent of patients are supposed to be admitted, treated, transferred or discharged within the timeframe - a figure which has been widely missed in Scots hospitals since the pandemic began.
Only Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital turned in a marginally worse performance against the targets.
It is the worse A&E performance recorded at the RAH since current records, which dated back to 2015, began.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which operates the RAH, also blamed a rise in covid cases and bed blocking for their decision to ask patients to stay away from stretched A&E departments again.
It comes after months of warnings, including from politicians and Unison union leaders at the Corsebar Road hospital, who have been warning of “chronic” staffing shortages since last October.
Now a senior NHSGGC medic has reiterated the board’s plea for patients to seek help elsewhere.
Dr Scott Davidson, deputy medical director at NHSGGC, said: “It’s two years since the first national lockdown and we’re still very much in the grip of covid.
“Our hospitals are almost at capacity and our A&Es are extremely busy.
“This is as serious as it gets. Our teams are under significant pressure and we need the public to show support by only attending A&E if your condition is very urgent or life threatening.”
Dr Davidson added that by accessing the right care, in the right place, patients will be able to avoid lengthy waits in A&E departments, getting treatment or advice more quickly.
He added: “Covid is rife within our communities and we need to protect patients and staff as much as possible – so please, keep wearing a face covering in our hospitals and health facilities to keep your friends and family safe.
“I want to thank our teams for the incredible work they are doing, under considerable pressure.”
But MSP Paul O’Kane says staff and patients are being failed.
He told the Express: “I’m deeply worried by these statistics.
“It’s clear that after weeks and weeks of warnings the Scottish Government have failed to act.
“There’s no clearer sign of their inaction than people being warned yet again not to go to A&E unless they have a life threatening condition.”
He added: “We shouldn’t be hearing repeated warnings about attending A&E, we should be hearing radical and bold plans to fix this crisis.
“This cannot go any longer, the dedicated staff of A&E departments and the patients who need to attend them deserve better.”
RAH staff leaders warned again in December of a “dire” situation at the site, which was then under winter pressures.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf visited the hospital two weeks ago to meet managers and union leaders in a bid to iron out problems.
Last month, Audit Scotland warned that the Scottish Government “must focus on transforming health and social care services to address the growing cost of the NHS and its recovery from Covid-19.”
They warned the health service is on an “emergency footing and remains under severe pressure” as a result of the pandemic and says NHS planning is “hindered” by a lack of quality data.
The Scottish Government set out a five-year NHS recovery plan last August and pledged: “We are investing £2 million initially for a range of innovative projects, increasing to around £9 million per annum by the end of the five year plan.”