West Lothian patients are waiting longer than ever to be seen at A&E as the worst ever figures were recorded.
The number of patients seen within four hours at emergency departments in the Lothian Health board dropped below 70 for this first time.
Those seen within the four hour window was 69.7 per cent in September while number of attendances at A&E for September 2021 was 24,894 compared to 25,217 in September 2020.
Politicians are now calling for “emergency measures” to be put in place to support A&E services.
Last week we reported that St John’s Hospital was close to capacity, forcing health bosses to plead with people not to attend A&E unless their condition is life threatening.
NHS Lothian has approached other health boards for help, citing a “perfect storm” caused by staffing and bed pressures, combined with high volumes of patients presenting with complex and serious cases.
A&E attendances dropped to a low of 14,803 in February 2021 and have gradually risen to a high 24,894 in September, the most recent month we have data for.
Workforce pressures, delayed discharge and an increase in attendances are all reasons for waiting times becoming longer.
The number of delayed discharges in NHS Lothian has been rising steadily since the start of this year, with 8,177 delays in September 2021, compared to 4,032 in February this year.
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs has called for emergency measures to be implemented.
He said: “NHS Lothian staff work incredibly hard to care for everyone who comes through their doors, but they are being pushed beyond their limits.
“Pressures on hospitals and A&E departments were there before Covid-19, but have been significantly increased by the pandemic.
“At the start of lockdown we were told to stay at home to protect our NHS, however SNP Ministers have not kept up their side of the deal.
“A&E departments must be given every available support to alleviate pressure and stop waiting times from getting worse.”
Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury added: “A&E services in the Lothians are in crisis, with the situation rapidly deteriorating with every passing week.
“Hard-pressed frontline staff have been sounding the alarm for months, but the Health Secretary has spectacularly failed to take action.’’
“Patients in the Lothians are being put in danger thanks to the SNP’s catastrophic failure to support A&E services’’
“The Health Secretary is without a workable plan, so we have a health service in freefall. Action must be taken now.”
Calum Campbell, chief executive, NHS Lothian said last week the health board faced a “perfect storm” caused by staffing and bed pressures, combined with high volumes of patients presenting with complex and serious cases.
He urged people only to attend A&E if it was a life-threatening emergency.
A Scottish Government spokesperson added: “The Health Secretary has been very clear this will be the most difficult winter in NHS history. That’s why we’ve announced £300million of measures to increase NHS and social care capacity as part of our strategy to tackle the various issues combining in extra A&E waits.
“This includes work to reduce the time people need to spend in hospital so others can be admitted quickly.”
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/
