Patients waiting 24 hours in emergency before treatment

PATIENTS have been forced to wait for more than 24 hours in Accident and Emergency (A&E) units, new figures show.

More than 50 people over the last four years, including a number of children, waited more than a day to be seen by doctors and either admitted to a ward or discharged. A further 65 were delayed by at least 18 hours.

The Scottish Government’s target is a maximum four hours wait after arriving at A&E units and that patients should be transferred to a ward or allowed home as soon as possible.

Health campaigners say 
although the figure is only a fraction of the total number of patients who visit A&E, the number of people waiting to be treated highlights “severe staffing and resource issues” in Scotland’s hospitals.

The figures, published yesterday, revealed that 18 hospitals across Scotland had at least one patient who was forced to wait more than a day to be seen and either admitted or discharged. A total of 49 hospitals have the units in Scotland.

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) in Glasgow had the most number of people forced to wait more than 24 hours. The figures, which are for 2008-12, show eight people had to wait for a day.

The next worst performer was Edinburgh’s Western General, with six, followed by Borders General and Stirling Community Hospital – both with five.

The figures, obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, show last year alone there were 12 people forced to wait longer than 24 hours for care – two more than the previous year. The party’s health spokesman Jackson Carlaw described the new figures as “disgraceful”.

Mr Carlaw said: “The SNP cannot continue to pretend everything is going well in our hospitals.

“All manner of statistics point to the contrary, and when matched with the experience of patients, it indicates an altogether depressing picture.

“With its health budget protected, the Scottish Government has to explain why standards are continuing to slide.”

The College of Emergency Medicine said more had to be done to prevent lengthy delays in emergency care units. It said a lack of acute hospital beds and not having appropriate consultants available was often to blame.

Dr Jason Long, the College’s Scottish chairman, said: “One person having to wait this amount of time is totally unacceptable and this is now, sadly, happening more and more.

“The reasons for the delays can be varied and complex. The bottom line is, currently, if there is not an appropriate place in a hospital for a patient they stay in A&E. This is clearly inappropriate and needs to be resolved.”

Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital has set up a group to examine reducing, and ultimately eradicating, delays.

Hospitals under fire

Number of people who had to wait for than 24 hours in Accident and Emergency units before being admitted or discharged:

Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill), Glasgow

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary6

Western General Hospital, Edinburgh6

Borders General Hospital, Melrose5

Stirling Community Hospital5

Dr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin3

Royal Aberdeen

Children’s Hospital3

Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow3

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary2

Dumfries and Galloway

Infirmary, Dumfries2

Royal Alexandra, Paisley2

Falkirk Community Hospital1

Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert1

Galloway Community Hospital,Stranraer1

Kincardine Community Hospital, Stonehaven1

Ninwells Hospital, Dundee1

Perth Royal Infirmary1

Wishaw General1

(Figures cover the 2008 -2012)