Lothian Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Sue Webber has accused the SNP of presiding over “terrifying” A&E waiting times as over half of patients admitted to Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary wait more than four hours to be seen.
The latest monthly figures, for last November, show only 44 per cent of patients in the Royal Infirmary’s emergency department were seen within the four-hour target, by which time 95 per cent should be seen.
Although performance at the Royal Hospital for Children was much better at 85.6 per cent, with the four-hour goal only reached for 55.5 per cent of patients at St John’s in Livingston, the regional average was less than two thirds, at 58.5 per cent, significantly worse than the Scottish average of 65.8 per cent.
Sue Webber said these waits were “intolerable” and “undoubtedly put lives at risk” and insisted the SNP has failed to give dedicated staff the resources they need to see patients quickly enough.
“A&E waiting times in Lothian are terrifying,” said Sue Webber. “Far too many patients are waiting too long to be seen and we know that undoubtedly puts lives at risk.
“These waits are intolerable and successive SNP health secretaries have left NHS Lothian without the resources to meet the demands of patients turning up in A&E.”
Calling on SNP health secretary Neil Gray to produce a proper plan, which ensures money is not wasted on pointless bureaucracy, Sue Webber added: “These waiting times must finally be the wake-up call for Neil Gray to deliver a proper plan to support Scotland’s NHS. This must prioritise getting money to the frontline in Lothian rather than being wasted on pointless bureaucracy.
“A&E departments are in permanent crisis mode and as winter continues there is a real danger the waits will spiral out of control."
