NHS Fife’s compliance with A&E waiting time targets was one of the worst in Scotland, according to the latest statistics.
In the seven days leading up to July 2 just 65% of patients were seen with four hours, well below the government-set target of 95% – and down 5% on the previous week.
Only two health boards – NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lanarkshire – recorded worse results.
Of the 1,365 people who attended a Fife emergency department across the week, 895 were seen within four hours.
A total of 470 people waited longer than four hours, while 75 waited more than eight hours.
NHS Scotland data also shows six patients in the Kingdom waited longer than 12 hours.
Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “I know that frontline staff at A&E and indeed the hospitals in general are absolutely run off their feet.
“It comes back to this whole approach to health and social care, because if that’s the issue within A&E that backs up into the hospital itself and then backs out into the community.”
He added: “The problem isn’t necessarily in A&E, the problem is often sitting out in the community.
“That results in bed blocking because people can’t get out, therefore A&E can’t move people through. It’s a whole system approach.
“So we need to fix social care and I’m afraid the government have completely failed to even demonstrate that they understand the issues within social care, never mind fix it.”
NHS Fife said weekly fluctuations in its performance are not uncommon.
Miriam Watts, general manager for emergency care, said they always aimed to provide patients with the best possible care.
Rise in Fife A&E attendances
“In recent weeks greater numbers of people have required admission to hospital than in January, when respiratory viruses are often at their peak,” she said.
Despite a rise in attendances, Ms Watts added that there had been a “sustained improvement” in waiting times, with the health board often outperforming the national average.
She added: “Our hospitals remain incredibly busy and we continue to do all we can to provide patients with a high standard of care, while ensuring they remain in A&E no longer than is absolutely necessary.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Performance against the four hour target has stabilised.
“However, we know performance is not where it needs to be and we are working closely with the health boards facing the greatest challenges in A&E to drive down waiting times and improve services for patients and staff.”
