Worst October on record for A&E waiting times, figures show

Health Secretary Neil Gray has warned that NHS performance will “fluctuate” as “pressures increase” over the busy winter period, after new figures showed A&E departments recorded their worst October for waiting times.

Data for October showed that of the 131,930 people who went to accident and emergency for help, two thirds (66.6%) were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time of four hours.

That is down from 69.3% in September and is the worst performance for October in the statistics, which date back to 2007.

While the Scottish Government has set the target of having 95% of patients in A&E admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, Public Health Scotland – which publishes the data – said that “compliance has been below 80% since summer 2021”.

Scottish Tories said that such “shocking waits” for treatment were happening “because the SNP have left Scotland’s NHS fighting for its life”.

Mr Gray said that while Scotland’s A&E departments “have been the best performing in the UK for the last eight years” he accepted that “performance is still not where we want it to be”.

The Health Secretary continued: “As we head towards the peak winter period we can expect to see performance fluctuate as pressures start to increase.”

His comments came as the October data showed 44,083 patients waited longer than the four-hour target time in A&E over the course of the month.

This included 16,001 patients there for at least eight hours – up from 13,452 the previous month.

The number of patients who spent 12 hours or more in the emergency department increased from 5,671 in September to 7,475 in October.

Separate figures for the week ending November 24 showed that of the 24,969 patients who went to A&E, 61.3% were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours – down from 63.4% the previous week.

Over the seven days, the four-hour target was missed for 9,651 patients, with 3,305 in A&E for at least eight hours, and 1,543 there for 12 hours or more.

Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: “These shocking waits in A&E departments are worsening because the SNP have left Scotland’s NHS fighting for its life.”

The Tory MSP added: “Dire workforce planning has left our NHS dangerously understaffed and overburdened. That leaves frontline staff in an impossible position and unable to provide urgent care.

“These delays at A&E create chaos across our NHS and ultimately put patients’ lives at risk.”

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said that “the SNP has lost its way on the NHS” – adding that “this is already clear to the two in five Scots waiting more than four hours in A&E, or the thousands with an anxious wait of 12 hours or more”.

She insisted: “The Scottish Budget this week is a make-or-break moment for our NHS – the SNP must show they can be trusted to protect our hospitals and patients this winter.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Despite the spin, things are going backwards for our NHS under the SNP and their failing NHS recovery plan.

“These waiting times at A&E in October are the worst on record for the month.”

He continued: “Seventeen years of SNP ministerial disinterest is leaving staff overwhelmed and thousands waiting far too long to be seen.

“We need to see the Scottish Government finally take some urgent action to address this crisis.”

Mr Gray said the Scottish Government was in “close contact” with NHS boards and was “supporting their efforts to move people through the hospital as quickly as possible, so that A&E waits can be kept to a minimum”.

The Health Secretary added that these efforts include an “increased focus on effective discharge planning”, which he said “not only helps to free up beds but is also in the best interest of patients who are ready to leave hospital”.

Mr Gray continued: “Health services everywhere face huge pressure in light of the pandemic – and ours is no exception.

“Our Budget this week will have improving the NHS at its heart. We want to make progress on improving our NHS but to do that Parliament must approve our Budget Bill to unlock investment to drive long-term and lasting improvements – and the healthier population – that we all want to see.”