Alison Johnstone MSP, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has urged Scottish Ministers to focus on staffing after figures showed a further drop in the number of patients being seen within four hours of arriving at hospital emergency departments.
The Scottish Government target is that 95 per cent of patients are seen within four hours. Yesterday’s figures show that in December only 92.6 per cent were seen within that time, the latest month-on-month fall from a peak of 95.8 in July.
The Health Secretary says Scotland’s A&E departments are outperforming other areas of the UK.
Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “Rather than comparing our hospitals to those south of the border, the Health Secretary should be striving to deliver the kind of health service Scotland wants. The seasonal drop in performance at A&E shows that not enough planning and investment went into the system in advance, and responsibility lies squarely with the Health Secretary.
“Greater effort is needed in recruitment and retention of staff, not just in A&E but in our GP surgeries and in social care, so that we minimise the need to visit and stay in hospital where possible.”
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