More people waited over four hours to be seen in Scotland’s A&E departments over the last three summers than in the previous 13 combined.
The Scottish Conservatives, who collated the figures from official Public Health Scotland stats, say they are a damning indictment of Humza Yousaf, who was either health secretary or First Minister when the delays spiralled out of control in 2021-2023.
The PHS figures reveal that 305,801 patients had to wait for over four hours in A&E during the last three June-to-August windows, more than the cumulative total for the same period from 2008 to 2020.
Of those, almost 77,000 patients had to wait over eight hours, five times more than in 2008-2020, while in excess of 26,000 had to wait over 12 hours, ten times more than in 2008-2020.
Before Humza Yousaf’s time as health secretary, Scotland’s NHS regularly met its target of 95% of patients being seen within four hours during summer. Now one in four have to wait longer during what’s supposed to be the ‘quiet’ season for the health service.
With the NHS currently in the grip of what’s expected to be its worst-ever winter crisis, shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane has slammed the “shameful” summer statistics.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, said: “These statistics expose Humza Yousaf, once again, as the worst health secretary since devolution.
“Patients and dedicated A&E staff are currently dealing with arguably the worst winter crisis ever, but these shameful figures illustrate that, even in summer, waiting times are dangerously high.
“That’s unacceptable because we know excess waits in emergency wards lead, tragically and inevitably, to needless deaths.
“With Scotland’s NHS on its knees under the SNP, discredited health secretary Michael Matheson cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor.
“He needs to rip up the First Minister’s flimsy recovery plan and come forward with concrete solutions to end these catastrophic wait times, which stem in large part from the dire workforce planning of successive SNP health secretaries.
“Ministers must set out plans for a modern, efficient and local health service if we are to have any hope of averting further crises like this.”
Notes
More patients have had to wait over four hours in the last three summers, than in every other summer period since 2008 combined. In the summer periods (June-August) of 2021, 2022, and 2023, 305,801 patients waited over four hours in A&E. In the summer periods of 2008-2020, only 254,964 had to wait over four hours in A&E. (Monthly A&E Waiting Times, 3 October 2023, link).
Almost 77,000 patients have had to wait over eight hours in the last three summers, almost five times more than the cumulative totals for the summers or 2008-2020. 76,991 patients waited over eight hours in the summers (June-August) of 2021-2023, whilst in the summers of 2008 through to 2020, only 15,901 patients waited over eight hours. (Monthly A&E Waiting Times, 3 October 2023, link).
In the last three summers, over 26,000 patients have waited over 12 hours, ten times more than every other summer since 2008 combined. In the summers (June-August) of 2021-2023, 26,317 patients waited over twelve hours, compared to just 2,306 people between 2008 and 2020. (Monthly A&E Waiting Times, 3 October 2023, link).
Before Humza Yousaf, the NHS could usually see 95% of patients within four hours in the summer, but now one in four have to wait longer than that. In the summer periods (June-August) of 2021-2023, an average of 73.9% of patients were seen within four hours, while in the summer periods of 2008-2020, an average of 95.0% of patients were seen within four hours. (Monthly A&E Waiting Times, 3 October 2023, link).