Cole-Hamilton: New Health Secretary must solve A&E crisis

Responding to new figures showing only 63.5% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in the week ending 4th February, while 3,482 people waited over 8 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Scotland's NHS has been consistently failed by its ministers in the last few years. Humza Yousaf with his NHS Recovery Plan that completely failed and Michael Matheson who was too focused on salvaging his career to focus on the needs of staff and patients.

"The new Health Secretary must not allow these dire waiting times in Scotland's A&E departments to continue to simply be the new normal.

"Staff and patients need to see real action from this government.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the NHS Recovery Plan, bring forward an urgent inquiry into the hundreds of avoidable deaths linked to the emergency care crisis and implement measures which will meaningfully tackle burnout among staff.”