SCOTTISH NHS OUTPERFORMS REST OF UK FOR A&E WAITING TIMES

A&E waiting times in Scotland improved dramatically over 2015, with Scotland now consistently outperforming the rest of the UK.
 
94.5% of patients visiting Scotland’s core A&Es in December 2015 were seen within 4 hoursafter Scottish Government worked with frontline staff to develop and implement the ‘Six Essential Actions’ for improving A&E performance, including in staffing levels. Under the SNP there’s been a 178.0% increase in A&E consultants.
 
In contrast, UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been distracted by his attack on junior doctors – while English Type 1 A&E performance fell well behind Scotland.
 
The divide on long waits is even starker according to recent research by the BBC – with 7 times as many patients in England waiting for more than 12 hours for treatment in A&E than patients in Scotland.
 
Commenting, SNP MSP Dennis Robertson said:
 
“Scotland’s A&Es have made real progress in the last year, and that is a testament to the hard work of the record number of NHS staff up and down Scotland. And while there is still work to do, Scotland’s A&Es are now consistently the best performing A&Es in the UK
 
“The SNP see Scotland’s NHS as one of our nation’s most important assets and we will continue to do all we can to support our hardworking healthcare workers to provide the best possible care for patients.
 
“That’s why we totally reject Jeremy Hunt’s senseless attacks on hard-working NHS staff, and why our Government in Scotland will continue to increase NHS frontline investment in at least real terms for every year of the next parliament if the SNP are re-elected.”