Record number of fed-up Fifers face lengthy A&E waits

Waiting times and record attendance numbers at Fife’s A&E departments need immediate action.

This week it was revealed:

Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital A&E department recorded five of its highest daily attendances since records began, between May and August.

In Fife, 74.3% of people were seen within four hours of arriving at A&E – falling short of the national 95% target.

The number of patients who waited eight hours doubled from 22 to 44.

Six patients waited over 12 hours.

NHS Fife issued yet another stark warning to the public this week – warning people to only use Kirkcaldy’s Accident & Emergency department for life-threatening conditions.

But calls have been made for more to be done to solve the issue.

NHS Fife’s public warning – their ninth in just six weeks – came as attendance levels rose to far beyond what the health board expects at this time of year.

They urged Fifers to call 111 or NHS 24 for non-life threatening issues to relieve pressure on services, and praised staff for their hard work.

Alex Rowley MSP said things were “going in the wrong direction” and called for transparency from NHS Fife bosses on the scale of the problem. He said: “Staff are overwhelmed with the growing pressures and fundamental to the issue is the failure to workforce plan.

“The government under the ‘Right Care Right Place’ programme that went live in November 2020, hoped by asking members of the public to call 111 if they have a health problem that they would normally take themselves to A&E for, it would relieve the pressure on A&E by 15 to 20%.

“However, the data suggests it is having no impact and therefore we need to see a rethink and action to support A&E.

“Being in denial about the level of the problems and challenges is not helping overworked staff or patients and means nothing happens whilst the problems just get worse.”

NHS Fife director of acute services Claire Dobson said: “The staff working in our emergency department, like elsewhere in our hospitals, are working incredibly hard, and under significant pressure, to continue to provide patients with the best possible care.

“During the summer months, emergency department attendances have gone well beyond even busy winter months.”

NHS Fife deputy chief executive Margo McGurk said they have been transparent about the scale of pressure on services and, following a recent board meeting, the chief executive outlined steps to address them. She said: “The demands currently placed on healthcare services in Fife, much like in other parts of the country, are unprecedented.”

Sir, – Thanks for your detailed and accurate Opinion piece in The Courier very sadly reflecting the failures of Police Scotland which led to the unneeded death of a 25-yearold woman.

Two points were clear in the report – firstly the Scottish Government’s move to centralise our local police force caused this problem and secondly when this was such a clear failing by our police force what is wrong with our justice system in Scotland that it takes nearly six years to reach a criminal conviction? Councillor Bill Porteous. Braehead,

St Monans, Fife.

WHY ARE WE WAITING? A&E departments were crumbling under the mounting pressure between May and August.