Scotland's A&E waiting times at best rate since May last year

Scotland's accident and emergency departments have achieved their best performance against waiting time targets since May last year.

Public Health Scotland data shows of the 21,527 people seeking emergency care 70.1% were seen within four hours.

The figures, for the week ending 22 January, were an increase from 64% the previous week.

However, the total is still well below the Scottish government's A&E waiting time target of 95%.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said he was "encouraged" to see improvements.

But opposition politicians warned the long waits experienced by many patients "cannot be normalised".

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In the midst of what ministers have described as the toughest winter ever for the NHS, performance fell to a record low of 55.1% against the target in the week ending 18 December.

The latest PHS statistics showed that 6,435 people spend four hours or more in A&E - down from 7,423 the previous week and from a high of 11,493 in mid-December.

The data also revealed 2,331 patients were in A&E for eight hours or more, down from 3,015 the previous week.

Separately, the number spending half a day or more in emergency departments dropped from 1,504 to 1,031.

The proportion of patients treated within the target time was the highest since the week ending 22 May 2022.

However, two hospitals treated fewer than half of A&E patients within the four hour target.

Just 40.1% of patients were seen within this time at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and 45.9% of patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Mr Yousaf noted that while the number attending at A&E had increased, those who experienced long waits had gone down.

He said: "Waits of over eight hours have gone down by around 53% since the recent peak over the holiday period, with 12-hour waits decreasing by 59%.

"Performance over four hours is the best we have seen since last May, this is welcome and recent progress is a testament to the exceptional efforts of NHS staff."

He added the government was doing everything it could to help the health service through the remainder of "the most challenging winter in its history".

'Breaking point'

Mr Yousaf said this included increasing bed capacity and NHS24 staffing.

He said: "As part of our nationwide approach on delayed discharge, patients who no longer need to be in hospital will be urgently reassessed and those clinically safe to be discharged will be safely moved home or to an interim placement in a care home - freeing up beds for those most in need."

But Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said health inequalities were widening.

She added: "These figures are an improvement on the dismal winter A&E stats, but the fact remains that our NHS is in crisis with thousands waiting too long for treatment.

"Patient and staff wellbeing is still at risk, lives are being lost and delayed discharge is at breaking point.

"The SNP must end delayed discharge, which causes capacity problems with a lack of available beds, and stop this crisis once and for all."

'Burnt out' staff

The Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the improvement was due to the efforts of his "burnt out colleagues on the frontline".

The GP added: "It is down to their dedication that figures finally appear to be heading in the right direction.

"However, Humza Yousaf should not get ahead of himself. Our NHS remains in a critical state on his watch. Cancer waiting times are at record levels and close to 800,000 Scots are on an NHS waiting list."

Dr Gulhane also criticised the SNP for what he said was its failure to eradicate delayed discharge and urged Mr Yousaf not to be complacent, despite the upturn in A&E stats.