A&E units hit waiting time target

Scotland’s emergency departments have met a key waiting times target for June.

The latest figures show 138,813 people attended A&E during the month, of which 95.5% were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

The figure is up from 94% in May and meets the Scottish Government target for 95% of cases to be dealt with within four hours.

The statistics show 371 (0.3%) of patients spent more than eight hours in an A&E department, and 73 (0.1%) were there for more than 12 hours.

Separate weekly figures also show the 95% target was met in the week ending July 23, with 95.3% of the 25,562 people who attended A&E departments seen within four hours.

A total of 35 people waited more than eight hours, and four were there more than 12 hours.

Health secretary Shona Robison said: “It is very encouraging that performance across Scotland was above the 95% target for June, and that Scotland’s A&Es have outperformed those in the rest of the UK for more than two years.

“The weekly statistics for core sites are also above that level for the second week in a row.

“These positive results are thanks to the hard work of staff on the ground.

“While we can expect some fluctuation week-to-week depending on seasonal pressures, there has been continued focus on improvements in patient flow.”