The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has asked ‘where are the tangible plans for Emergency Care?’ after Scotland’s A&Es experienced the worst February on record for performance.
The figures, released yesterday (1 April 2025) by Public Health Scotland comes just a day after the Scottish government revealed its ‘operational improvement plan’ which RCEM says ‘missed the mark’ in tackling extreme and dangerous long stays in A&Es.
The new PHS data shows that in A&Es in Scotland in February, 6,072 patients waited 12 hours or longer before being admitted, discharged or transferred.
They also reveal just how much long waits have increased since the 2010s.
Since February 2018, for example, the number of people waiting four hours or more in major EDs has increased by 3.4 times (10,979 to 37,274) eight hours or more by 13 times (1,023 to 13,638) and 12 hours or more by almost 35 times (174 to 6,072).
Patients are often experiencing these extreme long stays on trolleys in corridors due to the lack of available in-patient beds.
People in these beds are often stuck in hospital, despite being well enough to be discharged, because there is no appropriate social care support.
So called ‘delayed discharges’ meant there was an average of 1,986 patients in hospital each day, waiting to be discharged, even though they are well enough to leave. This is the highest number for the month of February since 2016, when guidelines changes.
Responding to the data, Dr Fiona Hunter, Vice President of RCEM Scotland said: “Scotland’s Health Secretary has said he is ‘encouraged’ by a weekly improvement to the four-hour target for admission, treatment or discharge – but our members and their colleagues certainly don’t feel encouraged when you look at the bigger picture.
“Across the board – four, eight and 12 hour waits – were the worst on record for the month of February.
“This should sound alarm bells to politicians and galvanise them to act before A&Es delve into an even deeper crisis.
“This data comes hot on the heels of the government’s NHS improvement plan, which did little to reassure burnout Emergency Medicine clinicians that they won’t be treating patients, who have endured a stay on trolley in a corridor for 12 hours or more, in the weeks, months and years to come.
“It was a golden opportunity, and it missed the mark.
“It’s left us asking, where are the tangible plans for Emergency Care?
“Time is ticking for the government to act and #ResuscitateEmergencyCare.”
Yesterday’s data also comes after the release of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Review, published last week, which clearly evidenced the systemic problems in Urgent and Emergency Care across Scotland, and set out national recommendations.