NHS misses festive A & E waiting times target

SICK and injured Scots faced longer waits to see a doctor in the country’s deluged Accident and Emergency departments over the festive period, health boards have confirmed.

The NHS dealt with 88.8 per cent of patients inside four hours during the two Christmas and New Year period. Picture: TSPL

The NHS dealt with 88.8 per cent of patients inside four hours during the two Christmas and New Year period. But this is well down on last year when the figure was over 90 per cent - and well down on the target of 95 per cent.

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SNP ministers say Scotland coped better than England, but the annual surge over the two-week holiday spell left many hospitals struggling cope and saw many medical procedures cancelled.

More seriously ill Scots are turning up at Accident and Emergency wards, resulting in their subsequent admission to hospital, figures released yesterday showed.

• Operations cancelled as Scots A&E units swamped

Health secretary Shona Robison said: “It is clear we must improve our performance – both in winter and year round – which is why we’ll go on increasing investment, improving systems and protecting staffing levels.

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“Health board staff across Scotland have been working extremely hard to meet this demand and ensure long waits in A&E are minimised – and for this they have our thanks.”

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