The Scottish Government has come under fire after accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times figures for August were the worst ever recorded for that month. The Liberal Democrats claimed the data showed the NHS was “teetering on the brink”, while the Tories claimed the prospects for the coming winter – for both staff and patients – were “terrifying”. The opposition parties hit out after Public Health Scotland statistics showed of the 133,454 people who went to A&E for help in August, 69.
4 per cent were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. That is the lowest percentage recorded for the month of August in figures which go back to to 2007 – and is well below the Scottish Government target of having 95 per cent of patients admitted, transferred or discharged in four hours or less. But 40,794 patients spent longer than that in A&E in August – with 13,303 there for eight hours or more and 5,401 there for a minimum of 12 hours.
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “SNP ministers are continuing to preside over a permanent crisis in Scotland’s A&E departments.” He added: “Tens of thousands of patients waited too long to be seen during August, so the prospect of what winter will bring for suffering patients and my frontline colleagues is terrifying.” Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “The summer usually sees shorter waiting times at A&E, but this year we saw the worst eve.
