A&E waiting-times target missed despite best annual performance since 2012
Accident-and-emergency (A&E) departments have failed to meet a key waiting-times target despite having had their best annual performance figures for four years.
Accident-and-emergency (A&E) departments have failed to meet a key waiting-times target despite having had their best annual performance figures for four years.
In the 12 months to September 2016, 94.4% of A&E patients were seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, with the Scottish Government stating this was the best annual performance since 2012.
However, the Scottish Government target is for 95% of cases to be dealt with in the target time.
In September this year A&E staff dealt with 141,115 separate cases at centres across Scotland, meeting the four-hour target for 94.9% of these.
Over the course of the month there were 542 people - 0.4% of all cases - who had to wait more than eight hours while one in a thousand patients (139) waited 12 hours or more.
More recent statistics for the week ending October 23 showed a higher proportion of patients spending more than four hours in A&E.
Staff dealt with 24,233 cases that week, with the target achieved in 92.9% of cases.
There were 240 cases where people were there for eight hours or more and 54 patients who had to wait 12 hours or longer.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "NHS staff across Scotland have been working hard to ensure people are seen as quickly as possible when they arrive in A&E.
"This is reflected in the fact that our core A&E performance in Scotland has remained better than elsewhere in the UK for the last 18 consecutive months.
"While weekly figures can show variations due to a number of reasons, at a monthly level hospitals are maintaining a high level of performance. We are continually working to retain and build on this to ensure patients get the service they rightly deserve.
"Health boards are continuing to implement our six essential actions, which aim to minimise long delays in A&E and assessment units.
"We have put targeted investment in place to enable health boards to increase staffing to help meet demand.
"This action will help support health boards and our integration partnerships to maintain high levels of performance during peaks and troughs of activity."