Tag: winter fears

Record breaking A&E waits give a worrying preview of Winter, says RCEM Scotland

#ResuscitateEmergencyCare

Politicians must show they’re serious about tackling the crisis in Scottish A&Es, as new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine suggests that we are heading towards yet another winter of chaos. 

The latest performance data for Scottish Emergency Departments, released yesterday (7 October) by Public Health Scotland for August 2025, showed that 5,556 people waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, transferred or discharged from major EDs.  

That’s roughly one in every 22 patients and the highest number who experienced this wait for the month of August since records began in 2007. 

The data, for major EDs in Scotland, also showed that in August 2025:  

  • More than one in 10 (14,208) patients waited eight hours or more to be discharged, transferred or admitted – the worst August on record.  
  • 1,964 beds per day in Scotland were being occupied by people who are deemed healthy enough to be discharged, an increase of 36 on the previous month. 
  • The proportion of patients being seen within the target of four hours fell again, from 65.8% in August 2024 to 64.7% this year.  

Dr Jayne McLaren, RCEM Scotland Vice Chair, said: “These figures should send shivers down the spines of politicians who have yet to publish a tangible plan on how we will tackle the winter months ahead.  

“I am dreading winter – and I know many of our members and colleagues feel the same. 

“The numbers are for August when, traditionally, doctors and other ED staff would get some respite with less pressure on the system. We have had no such break – summer has been relentless 

“Thousands of people, who have come to us because they are seriously hurt or sick, are being forced to endure hours and hours on trolleys and in corridors through no fault of their own. It’s a shocking consequence of a system that is near capacity.  

“Unless the Government takes immediate action by putting forward detailed plans on how to tackle the issue, people will continue to bear the brunt of the crisis in Urgent and Emergency Care. This is serious.”  

These figures come after RCEM’s recent analysis which showed there were more than 800 deaths associated with long A&E waits before admission in Scotland last year.

Visual representation if the data and longer-term trends are available on the RCEM Website.  

Trussell Trust: 1.5 million food parcels distributed as need continues to soar

New figures released today by the Trussell Trust reveal that 1.5 million emergency food parcels were provided to people between April and September 2023 by food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network. This is the most parcels that the network has ever distributed at this point in the year and represents a 16% increase from the same period in 2022.

Low incomes, especially from social security, debt, health conditions and issues with social security payments such as delays or sanctions were the main reasons people were left with no option but to turn to a food bank for help.

A record 540,000 food parcels were provided for more than 265,000 children living in families who could not afford the essentials. This is an 11% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting the continuing rise in need for the support provided by food banks.

The new data also revealed that 65% of all the parcels provided by Trussell Trust food banks between April and September this year were for families with children.

Furthermore, the charity has reported that an alarming 320,000 people have needed to use a food bank for the first time in the past six months, warning that food banks are at ‘breaking point’ as more and more people in communities across the UK find themselves unable afford the essentials.

The Trussell Trust believes that the situation is unlikely to change in the coming months with this stark new data leading them to forecast that food banks in their network will distribute more than a million emergency food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the equivalent of providing a parcel every eight seconds this winter.

Jess Holliday, Deputy CEO at Eastbourne Foodbank said: “At Eastbourne Foodbank, our donations are down even as need remains very high. We are deeply concerned about the alarming rise in the number of children needing our support.

“Last month, 633 of the food parcels we provided were for children. Day after day, people tell us they simply don’t have enough money to buy the basics. A client told me, ‘I have sold my car. I have sold everything and cut everything out. But that’s still not enough. All I want is enough money to pay the basic bills and have some left to buy my own food.’”

In order to reduce these relentless levels of need, the Trussell Trust is calling on the UK Government to use the upcoming Autumn Statement to build on its work to protect households on the lowest incomes.

Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust said: “These statistics are extremely alarming. An increasing number of children are growing up in families facing hunger, forced to turn to food banks to survive. A generation is growing up believing that it’s normal to see a food bank in every community. This is not right.

“Rising hunger and hardship have devastating consequences for individuals and our communities, damage the nation’s health and hold back our economy. People in work, as well as people who cannot work, are increasingly being pushed into debt and forced to turn to a food bank to survive.

“That’s why the UK Government must build on its work to protect people from increasingly severe hardship and commit to putting an Essentials Guarantee into legislation, to embed in our social security system the widely supported principle that, at a minimum, Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials.

“We recognise this change cannot happen overnight, which is why we are also calling on the Government to urgently confirm in the Autumn Statement that benefits will rise in line with inflation next April, and to reduce the burden of debt deductions which drive unacceptable levels of hardship.”

The Trussell Trust is encouraging people to show their support for people facing hardship by signing a petition urging UK political party leaders to support the introduction of an Essentials Guarantee to ensure that the basic rate of Universal Credit at least covers life’s essentials, such as food and bills. Find out more

Read more about our latest figures.