Scotland’s A&E numbers at nearly two year high
The report revealed waiting times have increased too
Last updated 15th Jun 2021
Public Health Scotland have published figures revealing that accident and emergency attendances in Scotland are at their highest since long before the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest NHS Scotland figures revealed that in the first week of June 2021 there were 28,493 Scots attending an A&E department.
Number of admissions to Scottish A&E on the rise
This was the most admissions since the final week of September 2019 and significantly above the previous week’s 26,115. The figures revealed that of those 26,115, 83.8.% were seen and admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours – which is well below the Scottish Government target of 95%.
Long waiting times in Scotland's A&E departments revealed
The figures, published by Public Health Scotland, also revealed that 480 patients spent more than eight hours waiting to be seen at an A&E department. The figures also detailed that a further 115 patients were waiting for longer than 12 hours.
The Covid-19 pandemic affect on Scotland's A&E numbers
Public Health Scotland also revealed that in the first month of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Scotland was put into lockdown, the A&E patient numbers plummeted to a record low of 11,059.
The impact of lockdown on A&E attendance
Attendances gradually increased to a summer high of 24,050 in mid-August 2020 before dropping back below 16,000 in January during the second wave of Covid-19 when restrictions were at their strictest.
But since the end of January, A&E attendances have increased in all but four weeks.