Hospital figures recovery

Waiting times at University Hospital Hairmyres’A&E department continue to show signs of recovery after a tough winter period.

The latest statistics for the week ending Sunday, February 4 show that 94.4 per cent of patients were seen within four hours.

That is just shy of the 95 per cent target set by the Scottish Government, up on the NHS Lanarkshire average of 91.2 per cent and ahead of the Scottish average of 90.5 per cent.

It is also an improvement on the previous week’s figure of 89.3 per cent.

Two patients waited more than eight hours to be seen – a big drop from 20 the previous week.

Nobody waited more than 12 hours which is a drop of five from the week ending January 28.

For the first time in a number of weeks, Hairmyres was not the worst performing A&E within the NHS Lanarkshire’s acute stable as University Hospital Wishaw saw just 83.1 per cent of patients within the four-hour target.

University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie was the best performing site with 96.9 per cent of patients seen within four hours.

NHS chiefs have welcomed the improving statistics for the fourth week in a row after Hairmyres previously recorded the worst A&E waiting times in Scotland.

But local politicians last week raised concerns over staffing levels after the health board told the News there are 10 vacant medical positions at Hairmyres.