The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
A&E waits boost with fall of 0.2%
Fewer patients suffered long waits at Scotland’s accident and emergency departments – with the latest figures revealing the best performance for six months.
Of the 25,423 people who went to A&E for help in the week ending April 21, 65.8% were either admitted, transferred or discharged within the target of four hours.
That is the best overall performance since the week ending October 15 when 66% of patients were dealt with inside this time.
But the target is 95%. According to Public Health Scotland, 8,825 patients spent longer than four hours in A&E in the week ending April 21, down from 9,131 the previous week.
There were 2,976 patients who were there for eight hours or more, again down from 3,111 the previous week.
However, 1,281 patients spent at least half a day in A&E, compared to 1,342 having such waits in the previous seven days.
Only one health board met the target in the week ending April 21, with NHS Western Isles seeing 97.6% of A&E patients admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
In NHS Forth Valley fewer than half (45%) of emergency department patients were dealt with within this time.
Despite the slight improvement, Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “A&E waiting times remain at utterly appalling levels due to SNP inaction.
“It is the shocking norm that over a third of patients are expected to suffer delays of over four hours, and that over 1,000 people are still waiting half a day to be seen.”
He insisted the next first minister “must urgently make cutting A&E waiting times a priority”.
Health Secretary Neil Gray responded: “Health services continue to experience sustained pressure and waiting times are longer than we want them to be for too many patients.
“The 2024-25 Scottish Budget provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards.
“An initial investment of £30m in the NHS, the first instalment of a £300m investment over three years, will target reductions to pandemic backlogs and patients waiting the longest time.”