Welcome improvement in performance but urgent action needed to avoid further crisis in Emergency Care

6 June 2023

Responding to the latest Emergency Department performance figures for Scotland for April 2023 Dr John-Paul Loughrey, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said:

“The data show some signs of improvement which is down to the hard work and dedication of our members and Emergency Medicine staff in Scotland. However, we know that the warmer months can provide some respite from the challenges the Emergency Care system and wider health service frequently see during winter.

“Last winter was the worst we have ever experienced, and while there are some signs of improvement, comparatively we remain in a difficult situation when compared to previous years. We urge the Scottish government to adopt the five priorities of our #ResuscitateEmergencyCare campaign. We must ensure that there are enough beds, staff and resources so that our patients receive the best care – whatever the time of year.”

Notes to editor

The latest performance figures for April 2023 for Emergency Departments across Scotland show:

• There were 106,888 attendances at major Emergency Departments
• 65.7% of patients were seen within four-hours at major (Type 1) Emergency Departments
  • This is an increase of 1.2 percentage points from the previous month
  • 36,716 patients waited over four-hours in major Emergency Departments, this is a decrease of 6.6% from the previous month but an 11.7% increase from April 2022
• 10,827 (10.1%) patients waited eight-hours or more in an Emergency Department
  • This is a decrease of 21.2% from the previous month
• 3,676 (3.4%) patients waited more than 12-hours before being seen, admitted, discharged, or transferred
  • This figure has decreased by 35.9% from the previous month, and an increase of 2.5% compared with April 2022