Significant challenges remain for NHS despite improvements, says Sturgeon

There are still “significant challenges” for the NHS despite waiting times improvements, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The First Minister chaired the fourth meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience committee (SGoRR) on Friday, set up to deal with the pressures facing the health service.

This week, figures showed A&E waiting times sharply improved, off the back of the lowest number of attendances in more than a year, but less than two thirds of patients were seen and subsequently admitted or discharged within the government’s four-hour target time.

In a statement released after the meeting, the First Minister said: “It is encouraging to see A&E waiting times are reducing, and long waits in emergency departments dropping, but significant challenges remain.

“We’re pulling every lever at our disposal to get us through this winter. Above all, I want to thank the incredible efforts of staff right across the health and social care system for their commitment and hard work during this extremely challenging winter.”