A&E in ‘permanent crisis mode’, Tories claim

Scotland’s emergency departments are in “permanent crisis mode”, the Scottish Tories have said, as more than a third of people waited more than four hours to be seen.

Figures released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday show 65.3% of people who went to A&E in the week up to May 5 were seen within the four-hour target time.

The figure is a slight increase from the 64.4% recorded the previous week but remains far behind the 95% Government goal.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said problems in emergency care were “not unique” to Scotland.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours also reduced slightly from 1,504 to 1,480 while those waiting more than eight hours increased from 3,276 to 3,351.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “SNP ministers shamefully continue to sit on their hands while our A&E departments remain in permanent crisis mode.

“Neil Gray as Health Secretary is in denial about the scale of this crisis and just like his predecessors has no plan to fix this situation.

“We are now well into May yet it is the shocking norm that over a third of patients continue to wait more than four hours to be treated at A&E.

“Those delays are potentially deadly for patients and it is deeply alarming that well over 3,000 patients had to wait over eight hours to be seen.

“John Swinney should stop obsessing over independence and instead focus on cutting NHS waiting times. If he wants an idea of where to start, he should adopt our plans to deliver a modern, efficient and local health service.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said A&E was “stuck in a state of constant crisis”.

“Long waits are putting lives in danger week after week while a string of SNP health secretaries and first ministers have come and gone.

“Fantastic NHS staff are working tirelessly to keep patients safe but they are also being failed by this SNP government.

“John Swinney must make dealing with the chaos in our overstretched NHS a top priority – but the fact is he has been at the heart of the government that created this crisis.”

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the crisis “must not continue to be ignored”.

“Patients and staff alike have had to put up with SNP ministerial disinterest for years on end, they all deserve better than this,” he added.

“We need to see meaningful action finally taken to reverse this situation, not just more talk from the SNP government.”

Responding to the statistics, Mr Gray said: “Health services continue to face sustained pressure and this is not unique to Scotland – with similar challenges being felt right across the UK.

“A&E performance remains below the levels we all wish to see and we continue to work closely with NHS boards to support sustained improvement, develop services and reduce long waits.

“The 2024-25 Scottish Budget provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards.”