A&E queues grow even longer amid deepening crisis
SCOTLAND’S A&E waiting time performance plummeted to an all-time low in December, and hundreds of operations were cancelled.
The toll of the winter crisis was revealed in NHS figures yesterday.
In December, only 85.1 per cent of emergency patients were seen within four hours, the worst performance since the Scottish Government’s target of 95 per cent was set in 2007.
A total of 3,301 patients waited for more than eight hours, while 817 were left waiting for more than 12 hours.
Separate figures showed 6,874 operations were cancelled last year due to factors including a lack of beds and staff, equating to around 19 cancellations a day. December was the worst month, with 778 cancelled operations, the highest in any single month since January 2016.
Since the start of 2018, weekly A&E figures have shown an improvement but the NHS has struggled to cope with the impact of weather and seasonal illnesses this winter.
Flu rates soared and hospitals postponed surgery and closed wards to limit the spread of the virus, telling patients to stay away from A&E unless they were in need of urgent medical attention.
Figures for the week ending January 28 show 89.7 per cent of A&E patients were seen within the target time, up from a low of 77 per cent three weeks previously but lagging behind the 92.5 per cent seen in the same period last year.
Critics last night said the Scottish Government was ‘failing patients’ because hospitals are simply under far too much pressure.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘After ten years in government, the SNP’s management of the Scottish health service has led to the longest A&E waiting times since 2007.
‘Clearly this undermines any excuses about winter pressures. As a result of the SNP’s mismanagement, thousands of patients are waiting, many in pain and discomfort, for more than four hours, while thousands are waiting more than eight hours.’
Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar claimed the NHS was under ‘unsustainable’ pressure.
He said: ‘An average of almost 19 operations cancelled every single day in 2017 because hospitals couldn’t cope should set alarm bells ringing in the government. It shows the level of pressure our hospitals are under.
‘Many of these cases will leave patients living in further pain until they finally get the procedure they need, and that can have knock-on effects for their work, family and mental health.’
Health Secretary Shona Robison said December was ‘exceptionally challenging’ as a result of winter pressures including icy conditions and an increased flu rate.
She added ‘Despite those challenges across the system, over 700 operations a day took place and just 3.2 per cent of planned operations were cancelled due to capacity or non-clinical reasons.
‘That is due to sound winter contingency planning and thanks to health and social care staff going the extra mile and delivering exemplary care.
‘While cancellations are unavoidable, we are clear that patients with the greatest clinical need should not have their operations cancelled.’
Miss Robison added: ‘It is positive news that, for the third week in a row, A&E waiting times are improving across Scotland and nine out of ten people were admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours.’