Long waits in A&E ‘have cost nearly 700 lives in five months’
‘Permanent state of crisis’
ALMOST 700 people are thought to have died in just five months as a result of long waits at A&E.
The crisis in the emergency departments of Scottish hospitals continues to see tens of thousands waiting longer than eight hours.
Research suggests delays of between eight and 12 hours raise the risk of death for one in 72 patients. Since the beginning of January, 49,818 patients have waited more than eight hours.
This equates to up to 692 deaths, according to the study method used by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM). Dr JP Loughrey, vicepresident of RCEM Scotland, said: ‘We know that long delays in emergency care are associated with patient harm and patient deaths. It is deeply distressing and deeply concerning.’
Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie has urged Health Secretary Michael Matheson to ‘end the chaos in A&E’.
Ms Baillie said: ‘This is a stark and shocking failure from a government that has pledged for months to get a handle on the crisis facing our A&E.
‘These are not mere numbers – these are vulnerable people in need who have been failed by this SNP Government. Treatment time standards exist for a reason – it has been shown that long waits result in worse outcomes for patients and even avoidable deaths.
‘The damage long waits cause cannot be understated. Hardworking staff are being pushed to breaking point and they’re receiving nothing but warm words from the SNP. The
SNP’s strategy of managed decline cannot be allowed to extend to our NHS, and their incompetence is costing lives.’
In the most recent weekly data, A&E figures worsened with more than a third of patients waiting more than four hours.
According to data released by Public Health Scotland yesterday, 65.8 per cent of attendances at A&E in the week up to May 7 were seen and subsequently discharged, transferred or admitted within four hours. This had worsened from 69.7 per cent the previous week.
The Scottish Government aims to ensure 95 per cent of patients are seen within four hours, a target that has not been met since the early months of the pandemic. Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said A&E in Scotland was ‘in a permanent state of crisis’.
He added: ‘It should never have become the norm that over a third of patients wait over four hours to be seen, but that is the tragic reality of Humza Yousaf’s legacy for our NHS – as these worsening figures show.
‘After failing upwards to become First Minister, he has left an incredible mess behind for Michael Matheson to clear up.’
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘For all the talk and plans from ministers, the situation has barely shifted in months. We need to see urgent action from Michael Matheson to resolve the crisis in our A&E departments.’
Mr Matheson said: ‘We are supporting health boards as they continue to manage the significant pressure that remains on services right across the health and social care system.’
He said boards were being given up to £8million to tackle pressure from delayed discharge, with hospital bed occupancy continuing to be ‘a major factor impacting on performance’.
He added that NHS 24 staffing was also being increased.