A&E 'winter catastrophe' looms as hospital corridors 'look like scenes from Crimean War'

Ministers have been warned the NHS is “heading for a winter catastrophe” as new figures showed a 12-fold increase in patients suffering the longest waits in accident and emergency (A&E).

Labour said under the SNP in government there were “hospital corridors that look like scenes from the Crimean War” as it noted that the most recent weekly figures showed 1,262 patients spent 12 hours or more in A&E.

That total, for the week ending September 29, compares with just 102 patients who had such long waits in the same week in 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of patients who were in A&E for eight hours or more before being either admitted, transferred or discharged has increased from 496 five years ago to 3,048 in the latest data.

New figures have shown a 12-fold increase in patients suffering the longest waits in accident and emergency | Getty Images

Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “After 17 years in power, the SNP has no excuse for hospital corridors that look like scenes from the Crimean War.

“Long waits should never be business as usual in A&E, but we’re heading for a winter catastrophe if the SNP doesn’t step in now to stop this alarming trend.”

She added: “Patients who come to A&E are in need of emergency treatment – waiting 12 hours could be the difference between life and death.”

Her comments came after the latest figures from Public Health Scotland showed that of the 26,438 patients who went to A&E for help in the week ending September 29, 65.4% were admitted, transferred or discharged within the target time of four hours.

That is up very slightly from the previous week’s performance of 65.3% but continues to be significantly below the Scottish Government target, which sets out that this should be achieved for 95% of patients.

A total of 9,150 patients spent more than four hours in the emergency room in the week ending September 29, with opposition parties demanding improvements from Health Secretary Neil Gray.

Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Scotland’s NHS is teetering on the brink of collapsing this winter, yet the SNP have no plan to fix this crisis.

“Thousands of patients are suffering lengthy delays every single week at A&E departments, which we know can lead to needless deaths.”

Dr Gulhane, a GP as well as an MSP, added: “Neil Gray’s feeble winter plan stuck to the same old tired policies that have repeatedly failed patients and my dedicated burnt-out colleagues during the SNP’s time in power.

“Like his predecessors, he is too busy spending time in the Holyrood bubble to fully appreciate the scale of the crisis facing frontline A&E services during the winter months.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton meanwhile claimed that under the SNP “emergency care is locked in a state of permacrisis”.

The Lib Dem said: “Waiting times have barely improved since last winter, this week’s figures are equal to figures from late December last year.

“We need to see urgent action from this SNP Government to stop this crisis getting even worse as we head into winter so that patients and staff are not left to suffer.”

The Health Secretary said while Scotland had the “best performing core A&E departments in the UK, performance is below the level we all wish to see”.

He said the Scottish Government was continuing to support NHS boards “as they undertake significant work to make targeted, sustainable improvements to services”.

Mr Gray continued: “The pressure being felt by our A&E departments is not unique to Scotland – with similar challenges being felt right across the UK.

“The Scottish Budget for this year provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards.

“Through our winter plan, a record number of NHS 24 call handlers will be available to direct people to the most appropriate care, helping reduce unnecessary A&E attendances.

“We are also working to reduce delayed discharge in hospitals with an increased focus on effective discharge planning.”