Local MSP Brian Whittle has accused the Scottish Government of failing to get to grips with worsening A&E waiting time figures ahead of the winter.
The Scottish Conservative MSP launched the attack as the latest weekly waiting time figures for NHS Ayrshire & Arran showed the number of patients being seen in A&E within the four hour target had fallen since the previous week. The new figures showed that more than a quarter of A&E patients in Ayrshire & Arran were waiting longer than four hours for care.
The SNP’s target for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours has not been met in Scotland since July 2020.
South Scotland MSP Brian believes the Scottish Government’s NHS Recovery plan is not good enough and is failing to deliver the support NHS staff urgently need.
Now, with winter approaching, and concern growing about the impact of Covid and flu circulating over the coming months, Brian is urging Health Secretary Humza Yousaf to take action.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“The strain on NHS services in Ayrshire & Arran has never been greater and demand is only likely to grow as we come into winter.
The SNP’s NHS Recovery Plan was criticised for being weak and vague when it was published and these latest figures prove that it’s not getting the job done.
Staff are struggling with an ever growing workload and more patients are facing longer waits for care.
This crisis in our A&E departments has been building for months and yet there’s no sign that Humza Yousaf is getting on top of the problem.
If the Scottish Government don’t act now, then we face a situation this winter where the pressure on hospitals becomes intolerable and puts lives at risk.”
