Waiting times in A&E hit another new high

Scotland’s A&E waiting time performance has hit a record low for a third week running.

Performance against the four-hour waiting time target for A&E fell to 75.1% for the week ending August 22.

In the previous week, 76% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time.

The figure stood at 76.5% in the week ending August 8.

The Scottish Government target is for 95% of all A&E patients to wait no longer than four hours.

This target has not been met since July 2020.

Other statistics released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday showed an increase in the number of patients waiting for key diagnostic tests such as endoscopy, a CT scan or an MRI scan.

This rose by 9.1% between the end of March to the end of June to 115,253 patients.

It means the total number of patients waiting for the key tests is 16.9% higher than the same time last year.

Responding to the figures, David Ferguson, of Cancer Research UK, said: “Those who are experiencing symptoms that could be cancer also need to have confidence that after visiting a GP their health concerns will be investigated in a timely manner.”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the pandemic has hit A&E departments, while the Scottish Government has recently offered £12 million to health boards for emergency care.

He said: “Scotland’s core A&E departments have outperformed those in the rest of the UK for six years.

“Our NHS staff have faced unprecedented pressures. They work tirelessly to respond to the pandemic whilst continuing to provide vital treatment.”