July sees worst performance figures ever recorded in Scotland, ‘this should ring alarm bells to all political and health leaders’ RCEM says

6 September 2022

Responding to the latest Emergency Department performance figures for Scotland, Dr John-Paul Loughrey, Vice Chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said:

“The latest Emergency Department performance figures for July should ring alarm bells to all political and health leaders. These are the worst performance figures since records began, with over 4,000 patients waiting 12-hours or more in major Emergency Departments in Scotland – equal to nearly one in every 25 patients.

“The depth and scale of this crisis is deeply concerning. Patients are already coming to harm, a consequence of long and dangerous waiting times. These data must be a call to action, especially as winter is fast approaching.

“The government must urgently expand capacity where safely possible; we know there is a shortfall of 1,000 beds in the health system in Scotland. The Scottish government and local authorities must also bolster the social care workforce. Good social care underpins an effective health service. Ensuring the timely discharge of patients, which relies on good social care, is crucial for freeing up beds, admitting patients and encouraging flow throughout the hospital.

“Lastly, we must see a long-term workforce plan for the NHS in Scotland. Staff have been pushed to the brink; burnout and distress are leading to health workers considering leaving the workforce. We must do all we can to retain staff as well as look to recruiting new staff into the health service. Without the workforce, more and more patients will face longer and longer waits and come to further harm. Our priority is patient safety and delivering effective care, that is only possible with a workforce that is not overwhelmed, not burnt out and not undervalued.”

Notes to editor

The latest performance figures for July 2022 for Emergency Departments across Scotland show:

• There were 110,494 attendances at major Emergency Departments
• 5% of patients were seen within four-hours
  • This is the lowest four-hour performance since records began
  • This meant that 37,067 patients waited more than four-hours to be seen, admitted, discharged, or transferred.
• 11,419 patients waited more than eight-hours before being seen, admitted, discharged, or transferred
  • This is the highest number of eight-hour waits since records began
  • There have been almost 20,000 more eight hour waits between January 2022 and July 2022 than in all of 2021.
  • It means that one in 10 patients were waiting eight-hours or more in a major Emergency Department
• 4,271 patients waited more than 12-hours before being seen, admitted, discharged, or transferred
  • This is the highest number of 12-hour waits since records began
  • It means that nearly 1 in 25 patients waited 12-hours or more in a major Emergency Department
  • In the first seven months of 2022 there have been double the number 12-hour waits when compared to the whole of 2021
  • It is a 14% increase on the previous month, June 2022 and a 461% increase on the same month last year, July 2021