Highlighting the latest figures on A&E waiting times, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Claire Baker has called on the Scottish Government to take immediate steps to address the pressure on services across NHS Fife and NHS Forth Valley.

The statistics are the worst weekly and monthly A&E figures for Scotland on record, with only 69.6% of attendances at A&E services across the country seen and admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours. 1,948 patients across Scotland waited for more than 8 hours. The monthly figures for September show performance against the four-hour target at a record low of 76.1%.

The NHS Fife rate of compliance with the 4 hour standard for week ending 24th October was 69.6%. The rate of compliance with the 4 hour standard for NHS Forth Valley for week ending 24th October was the worst in the country, at only 51.8%.

Claire Baker has previously urged the Scottish Government to do more to address the pressures faced by NHS services including A&E, and has called for additional support to be provided to health boards.

Claire Baker said:

“The latest figures on A&E waiting times show that the Scottish Government has failed to address the pressures on vital services, and they need to take urgent action.

“Our NHS staff continue to work to deliver healthcare across Mid Scotland and Fife but A&E performance is at its lowest ebb. Frontline staff are doing all they can but they need additional support to prevent this situation from further deteriorating.

“The announcement of additional funding of £10m to redeploy staff and extend hours is a positive step but must be part of broader support plans. The Scottish Government needs to quickly get a grip of the scale of this challenge.”