THE number of patients waiting too long in Scotland’s A&E units has risen again, ending a three-week run of improvements.

The Scottish Government blamed a Covid wave and related staff shortages for A&E performance falling in the New Year. 

Opposition parties said the continued problems well into the spring pointed to deeper problems in the system and demanded action from SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.

Official figures from Public Health Scotland showed just 69.6 per cent of people were seen within the four-hour target in the week ending May 8.

This was down from 71.6% the previous week, and 70.2% the week before that.

The pattern had been improving since the week ending April 18, when it was 68.1%.

The target, which has not been met nationally since July 2020, is for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned the significant delays are harming or killing more than 30 patients a week. 

The latest figures showed the number of people waiting more than four hours rose from 7,286 to 7,960 last week, and the number waiting more than eight hours from 1,741 to 2,132.

The number waiting more than 12 hours fell from 677 to 645.

The deterioration coincided with attendances at casualty units increasing from 25,692 to 26,219.

The worst performing health board was NHS Forth Valley with 62.4% of patients seen on time, with NHS LAnarkshire on 63.8% and NHS GReater Glasgow & Clyde on 65.4%.

Only 44.7% of patients were seen within four hours at Glasgow’s flagship £800million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “Summer is round the corner and Covid infection rates are plummeting, yet waiting times in Scotland’s emergency wards not only remain dangerously and unacceptably long, they are getting even worse.

“The upshot of this is that lives are being needlessly and tragically lost.

“It’s dreadful that more than 30% of patients are having to wait at least four hours to be seen. “These appalling figures are the product of a Health Secretary reliant on a flimsy, inadequate Covid Recovery Plan and an SNP Government guilty of terrible workforce planning.”

Scottish Labour deputy Jackie Baillie said: “Another week, another set of damning statistics from Scotland’s A&E departments.

“These are not mere numbers – these are mothers, fathers, children and grandparents.

“A&E staff are working tirelessly but they are being failed by a Health Minister who is more concerned with bolstering the ranks of spin doctors than supporting frontline nursing staff.

“With so many people waiting unacceptable lengths of time at the QEUH, it is clear that this Winter NHS crisis has become a perpetual crisis. This cannot be allowed to continue.

“Humza Yousaf must listen to the staff and patients and act to save lives.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP added: “Waiting times are out of control and people are dying as a result. 

“Patients and staff desperately need action on this crisis from the First Minister and her Health Secretary, rather than bluster about the constitution.

“This complacent government was already pushing staff to their pre-pandemic limits when targets were missed for years on end. The SNP have failed our NHS. This is why the SNP/Green Government were wrong to vote down Scottish Liberal Democrat proposals for an urgent Staff Burnout Prevention Strategy.

“The Health Secretary must finally accept the need for an inquiry into avoidable deaths linked to the crisis in emergency care. We all deserve to know why ministers have not fixed this crisis.

“Frontline staff need extra protection, patients need new hope and we all need ministers, and a government who are actually focused on the things that matter now.”