WAITING time performances in Scotland’s A&E departments have now declined for a full month, with more than 30 per cent of patients waiting too long last week.

The Tories said the deterioration over four consecutive weeks was a “damning indictment” of SNP health secretary Humza Yousaf.

Labour said he had allowed a state of crisis to become "the new normal" for the NHS.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) reported 69.8 cent of patients were seen within the official four-hour target in the week to February 20, down from 73.2% the previous week, and 74.4%, 75.6% and 77.7% in the weeks before that.

The number of patients waiting over four hours was up from 6,390 to 7,041.

The number of patients waiting eight hours also increased, from 1,418 to 1,749, while those waiting 12 hours increased from 498 to 627.

The deterioration was in spite of a slight fall in attendances, from 23,850 to 23,331.

The reversals followed two consecutive weeks of improvements, albeit from a record low, when the waning impact of the Omicron variant on staff shortages was seen as a factor.

The target is for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

It has not been met nationally since July 2020.

It has been below 80% since mid July this year.

The worst performing health board last week was NHS Lanarkshire with 63.1% of A&E patients seen within four hours, NHS Forth Valley was 64.4% and NHS Borders 65.3%.

Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “These woeful figures are both a tragedy and a damning indictment of the Health Secretary - because we know the consequences of them will be more avoidable deaths.

“Last week, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that 500 people died needlessly in Scotland in 2021 because of delays to being seen in A&E.

 “That’s why it’s so alarming to hear that over 30 per cent of patients weren’t assessed within four hours and utterly unacceptable that thousands more waited more than eight hours or over a half a day to be seen.

“The blame for this lies squarely with the SNP. Their poor workforce planning has left A&E departments stretched beyond breaking point and consistently unable to handle the number of patients attending.

“And, as the recent Audit Scotland report on Scotland’s NHS indicated, Humza Yousaf’s Covid Recovery Plan simply isn’t up to tackling the problem.”

Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "The SNP’s catastrophic failure to re-start our NHS has led to a state of perpetual crisis becoming the new normal in Scotland’s NHS.

“Frontline staff have warned Humza Yousaf for months over the need for more support, but he has turned his back on the staff and the patients that they treat.

“One in eight Scots are on waiting lists, delayed discharge is rising and A&E continues to have challenging waiting times.

“The staff are working incredibly hard but this is incompetence on a staggering scale from the SNP Government which is endangering the lives of thousands of Scots.”

Scottish Liberal Democrate leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “These numbers are shocking. Let's be clear, this is what 15 years of SNP mismanagement, poor workforce planning and lack of vision produced. Exhausted staff and patients waiting interminable queues. 

“It is unacceptable that almost one third of patients are not seen within four hours. Last week, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimated that in 2021, 500 people had died while waiting to be seen in A&E.

“The SNP/Green government voted down our staff burnout prevention strategy, and still haven’t responded to our proposals for a health and social care staff assembly. They are watching this crisis go by without doing what is needed. 

“NHS patients and staff are in dire need of new hope. The Health Secretary must stop hiding behind the pandemic and deliver the immediate radical action that is so needed.”