Two of Lanarkshire’s three A&E departments have identified as the lowest performing sites in Scotland.
Wishaw General and Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride were listed by the Scottish Government in its latest A&E release.
Wishaw finished fourth bottom with 73.7 per cent of patients being seen within four hours, with Hairmyres third bottom with just 72.9 per cent of patients being seen within the four period.
Other low performing sites were Borders General Hospital (75.6 per cent), Forth Valley Royal Hospital (71.5 per cent) and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (68.4 per cent).
Russell Coulthard of the health board told Lanarkshire Live: “Our A&E departments are extremely busy at present.
"All our staff continue to work extremely hard to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.
"NHS Lanarkshire continues to provide alternative services so patients can receive care out-with hospital wherever appropriate.
“We urge the public to access the right care at the right place. A&E departments are for those who have a life-threatening emergency.
“However, to ensure patients have the fastest access to the treatment they need, anyone with a non-life threatening condition should call NHS 24 on 111, day or night, where they will be directed to the right NHS service.
“Your local pharmacy is your first port of call for minor illnesses and NHS Inform website provides advice on self-care. You can contact your GP practice during the day for an appointment or over the phone advice.
“We want to provide the best and safest care to our patients. By getting the right care at the right place we can make sure A&E services are there for those who need it.”
There were 130 patients who spent over 12 hours in A&E. There were eight and 41 patients waiting over 12 hours in the same week in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The Scottish Government is committed to produce the NHS Recovery plan within the first 100 days of the new administration which will set out in detail how we intend to meet our ambition of reducing waiting times.
“We continue to work with Health Boards through the Redesign of Urgent Care Programme to ensure people are seen safely and to help the public access the right care in the right place at the right time, often as close to home as possible.
“Through this programme, we are encouraging people to contact NHS 24 on 111 if they think they need A&E but their condition is not life-threatening.
“This will ensure people get the right care for them and allow A&E to provide the fastest and most appropriate care for people when and where they really need it.”
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