Waiting times for emergency treatment in Fife’s hospitals have dramatically improved, new figures have revealed.
NHS Fife has gone from being the worst-performing health board in Scotland last year when 476 people waited at least 12 hours in A&E before being seen to one of the best.
Figures released by the region’s medical director, Dr Gordon Birnie, show that during July and August, 98% of people waited less than four hours.
The board was one of only three in mainland Scotland to either meet or exceed the Scottish Government’s emergency waiting time target a fact hailed by board members and health campaigners.
The kingdom’s health chiefs came under fire this year when it emerged more than half of the 900 patients across Scotland who waited over 12 hours in 2011/12 were either in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, or Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline.
The data included January, when A&E services were transferred from Queen Margaret to the new £170 million wing at Victoria Hospital and teething troubles prompted a deluge of complaints.
The Courier was contacted by numerous angry members of the public at the beginning of the year with shocking tales of heart attack patients waiting up to 14 hours in A&E before seeing a doctor a situation branded ”unforgiveable”.
NHS Fife admitted at the time it needed to do better and said action was being taken to improve matters. That action has now borne fruit and Dr Birnie said there had been a ”significant improvement”.
Part of the reason, he said, was the fact A&E was now on a single site, meaning consultants were more readily available and patients could be admitted faster. He added that a discharge lounge had also been implemented so patients ready to go home were not taking up beds unneccessarily.
However, he added: ”The current challenge is to develop and implement a robust plan for any surge that might occur over the winter period.”
Addressing members of NHS Fife’s operational division, which manages Victoria and Queen Margaret hospitals, Dr Birnie said: ”Since we moved into the new units we have progressed and driven improvements in access to emergency services.
”The Scottish Government target is that 98% of people will be seen within four hours of attending at accident and emergency. Over the last quarter we have consistently delivered that in all but two weeks of that quarter.
”In the last two months we have delivered it, and even exceeded it, and comment has been made that we are currently in the top-three-performing health boards in Scotland as far as emergency access is concerned.”
Dr Birnie said he was often asked what one thing had made the difference, and added: ”I don’t think there is one thing. I think the improvement is, really, in spending the money and putting A&E departments together on a single site and giving staff a facility that’s fit for purpose.”
Councillor Andrew Rodger, chairman of Fife’s health and social care partnership, welcomed the improvement and congratulated staff who had helped bring waiting times down. However, he warned against complacency ahead of the winter, when more people traditionally attend hospital.
”I welcome these figures without a doubt but although they are good just now, let’s not pat ourselves on the back too much, as we are coming into the winter months,” he said.
”We have good teams in place now, which are helping to keep elderly people from going into hospital and having A&E on one site is definitely adding to the improvements.”