Waiting times in Scotland’s emergency departments have improved slightly – but more than one third of patients are still waiting longer than four hours, according to official figures.
Statistics released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday show that 64.3% of attendances at A&E in the week up to April 14 were seen within the four-hour target time – up from 62% the previous week.
The Scottish Government aims to have 95% of patients seen within four hours.
Of the 25,423 attendances in that week, 3,092 people waited longer than eight hours – down from 3,663 the previous week.
A total of 1,341 people waited longer than 12 hours, dropping from 1,741.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the health service remains under “severe pressure” and waiting times are “longer than we want them to be for too many patients”.
“We continue to work collaboratively with health boards to develop services, support sustained improvement and reduce A&E waits,” he added.
“I am pleased to see some improvements in performance this week with decreases in the number of patients waiting longer than eight and 12 hours – there was a 15.6% decrease in the number of patients who spent over eight hours in A&E and a 23% decrease in patients who spent over 12 hours in A&E, compared to last week.
“The 2024-25 Scottish Budget provides over £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline health boards.
“An initial investment of £30 million in the NHS, the first instalment of a £300 million investment over three years, will target reductions to pandemic backlogs and patients waiting the longest time.”