Scottish Hospitals Miss Waiting Time Goals

New statistics has shown that 87% of patients are seen within four hours of waiting at most Scottish hospitals, meaning that the government are falling short of their waiting time goals.

The Scottish Government had targeted a 95% success rate regarding waiting times, but fell 8% short, with waiting times for Scotland’s main hospitals being somewhat worse than the major hospitals in England.

In Greater Glasgow and the Clyde area the latest weekly data showed only 76% to 78% of patients were seen within four hours, with the area being one of the worst areas for meeting the 95% mark. Elderly patients were also most at risk by waiting times. 

Winter Illnesses

The number of delayed discharges had fallen in January, however the data showed that there was an increase between October to December last year with 168,500 bed days lost through delayed discharges, 33,000 more days lost than in 2003.

The Scottish Health Minister, Shona Robinson, blamed the figures as a result of the winter flu and other illnesses around that time of year.

“More Needs To Be Done.”

Robinson admitted that more needed to be done in the key areas to improve the waiting times, especially in the major hospitals. She said: “More clearly needs to be done to tackle the issues facing our NHS.

"Today’s A&E waiting time figures are on a par with those in NHS England, and far exceed those in NHS Wales and Northern Ireland.

“However, they do not meet the demanding, world-leading targets we have set and the standards that patients should rightly expect.

“We are determined to improve performance through a whole system approach, improving patient flow throughout their journey from admission to discharge.”

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