A&E performance in NHS Grampian hits a record low
36.8% of patients were in the emergency department for over four hours
Last updated 19th Apr 2022
Waiting times in emergency departments across NHS Grampian have reached a record high.
The latest figures, published by Public Health Scotland, show that only 63.2% of accident and emergency patients complied with the Scottish Government's four-hour standard for the week ending April 10th
Just 53.4% of emergency patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours, which was a 4.9% improvement on the previous week.
The national average also hit a record high with just less than two thirds (66.2%) of patients hitting the four-hour standard, the same number as the week ending March 10th.
Interim portfolio lead for unscheduled care and medicine, Sandra MacLeod said: “Patients having to wait longer than expected at the Emergency Department is unfortunate and we apologise to everyone who has been affected by this.
“NHS Grampian, like the rest of NHS Scotland, is continuing to face unprecedent pressure and strain across all its services – including those in the community, primary care and acute care – amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“These increased pressures – including those on capacity, staffing and increased infection, prevention and control – mean we cannot treat as many patients at one time as we could previously and it is more difficult to discharge patients from the Emergency Department into the hospital or back to a community setting.
“We would assure the public that cases are triaged with those facing life-threatening situations – such as heart attacks or strokes – continuing to be seen rapidly for life-saving treatment as an absolute priority.
“Our staff continue to work extremely hard under these pressures and we would once again like to publicly thank them for their incredible efforts.
“It is vital that in order to assist us, members of the public call NHS 24 on 111 prior to coming to hospital, unless the situation is life-threatening – for example a suspected heart attack or stroke – in which case they should call 999.”
Hear all the latest news from the North East of Scotland on Northsound 1. Listen on FM, via our Rayo app, DAB, or smart speaker.