A&E, delayed discharge and operations backlog are damning indictment of SNP 

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP has today said that new figures on the state of the health service, including more people than ever before waiting over four hours at A&E in a single month, is “a damning indictment” of the SNP’s record.

New figures published today reveal:

• 50,747 people waited longer than 4 hours in August at A&E, with more people than ever before waiting over four hours at A&E in a single month.
• At the August 2026 census, 1,964 people were delayed in their discharge from hospital.
• There have been 36,062 fewer operations between July 2025 and August 2026 than there were in the equivalent period before the pandemic.

On A&E waits, Adam said:

“The situation in our A&E departments is truly desperate. Doctors are now describing it as ‘terrifying’.

“It is utterly unacceptable that patients are stuck in waiting rooms and corridors for hours on end, worried if they’ll ever get treated.

“Too many beds are occupied by people who can’t get the care package they need to return home. That’s why we need to fix the underlying problems in social care, let people leave hospital on time and get everyone the care they need.”

On delayed discharges, Adam said:

“These delays are costing the NHS £1.2 million a day. The SNP’s promise to end them more than a decade ago lies in tatters.

“For every patient who is delayed in leaving hospital, there is another patient who will wait excruciatingly long for an ambulance or at A&E.

“We need to get people the care they need and let them leave hospital on time by boosting pay and conditions for care workers and delivering new key worker housing to help people take up posts even in areas where there are housing shortages."

On cancelled operations, Adam said:

“The SNP have broken their promise to put the health service back on a stable footing following the pandemic.

“Liberal Democrats have fought hard to increase capacity across our NHS, securing progress on projects like the Belford Hospital replacement in Fort William, but we need to keep going.

“Ministers should listen to my party’s calls for a rolling 10-year NHS Workforce Plan, which would identify gaps in staff and resolve them early on.”