The statistics which point to a deepening crisis for NHS Scotland ahead of winter

NHS Scotland’s A&E waiting times have started to increase, prompting warnings that Scotland could be heading towards another ‘winter crisis’.

Last winter - “the worst winter ever”, according to Nicola Sturgeon - Scotland’s hospitals reached 95 per cent capacity, waiting times for A&E soared and ambulances queued up outside.

Scotland’s emergency waiting times have already started to increase, new figures show, ahead of another expected “winter crisis” for NHS Scotland.

During August of this year, 71.3 per cent of patients attending A&E were dealt with inside the Scottish Government’s target of four hours.

However, the most recent weekly figures, from the week ending October 1st, show only 66.1 per cent of all attendances were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

During last winter’s NHS crisis, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) warned there was an excess mortality of 50 deaths in Scotland every week, due to the pressure on emergency departments.

Increasingly long waiting times lead to poorer outcomes for patients, causing needless deaths which would otherwise have been prevented.

Last winter - “the worst winter ever”, according to Nicola Sturgeon - Scotland’s hospitals reached 95 per cent capacity, waiting times for A&E soared and ambulances queued up outside.

Last month, the RCEM warned Scotland’s A&E figures show it is “heading towards the colder weather with a poorer baseline than a comparable period in 2022”.

The slip in performance has led Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane to warn that the winter period “is still to come”.

“It is utterly unacceptable that the norm is now for a third of patients to be left waiting over four hours in Scotland’s A&E departments,” said Dr Gulhane.

“We know that these lengthy waits – with thousands of patients languishing in A&E for over eight or even over 12 hours – can lead to tragic, avoidable deaths.

“What makes these figures even more terrifying for overstretched staff and patients is that the peak winter period for Scotland’s NHS is still to come.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said A&E departments have been “in constant chaos for years now” and accused the Scottish Government of being “complacent”.

“The SNP Government appear to have accepted this turmoil as the new normal for our health service and seem to have given up on fixing it,” she said.

“This relentless crisis is putting lives at risk every single week, forcing thousands of patients to suffer for hours on end and leaving staff exhausted.”

In response, the Scottish Government’s has launched the ‘Right Care Right Place’ campaign to help people understand which setting is best for their medical concerns, ahead of the expected increase in demand for the NHS over winter.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said the campaign would alleviate pressure on the NHS.

“Since early spring we have been working closely with colleagues across the NHS and social care to make sure that every possible mitigation is in place ahead of winter,” Mr Matheson said.

“Our winter plan will be published later this month.

“Public information and awareness is a key part of our plan, and that’s why we are starting our awareness campaign earlier than in previous years.

“Through this campaign we want to make sure the public know exactly how to access services when they need them.

“This will help everyone to get the right care, in the right place as quickly as possible.”