NHS Tayside beats target on waiting times

Board among Scotland’s best performing – but national figure hits record low

Tayside was one of only three health boards which did not breach waiting times targets as the percentage seen within the four-hour limit reached the lowest level on record, nationally.

Official statistics also show the proportion left waiting more than eight and 12 hours in December were at the worst level for a single month since records began in 2007.

Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Miles Briggs described the figures as “an utter disaster”.

Of the 141,416 people admitted to A&E in Scotland during December, just 83.8% were treated, transferred or discharged within the target time, leaving almost 23,000 patients waiting more than four hours.

The figure is 1.3 percentage points below the previous low in December 2017 and a long way short of the Scottish Government’s “national standard” of 95%, which was last met in August 2017.

NHS Scotland statistics also reveal 3,899 (2.9%) of patients spent more than eight hours in A&E, while 1,107 (0.8%) patients waited more than 12 hours.

Mr Briggs said: “The SNP has caused this crisis by cutting beds and failing to support primary care.

“Patients are waiting in pain, discomfort and distress, which in turn significantly affects staff.

“The SNP has had 13 years to improve our NHS for patients and staff and this is the result – rock bottom performance across the board.”

NHS Lanarkshire was Scotland’s worst-performing health board for A&E waiting times with 77.2% of patients seen within four hours, followed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 79.9%.

There were three NHS boards that exceeded the 95% target – Orkney (97.5%), Tayside (96.7%) and the Western Isles (96.3%).

The target of 95% of patients being seen within four hours was introduced in 2007 and described as “a milestone towards returning to the 98% standard”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “The SNP health secretary said that she would turn round years of decline but these figures confirm that she has spectacularly failed.

“We can only have a health service that delivers for patients and staff if we are prepared to put in the resources to make that happen.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “In December 2019, our core A&E departments saw the highest level of attendances for that month ever.

“This was in part due to the early onset of the flu season and an increase in respiratory conditions.

“However, Scotland’s core A&E departments continue to be the best performing in the UK.”

She added: “We’re investing nearly £20 million to support improvements in unscheduled care to help address the challenges our A&Es face.”