Cole-Hamilton responds to embargoed A&E analysis

Responding to new analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which reveals that it could take more than 200 years to reduce the number of people waiting 12 hours or more at A&Es, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“People never used to wait so long at A&E, but the SNP have turned 12 hour waits into a terrifying new norm.

“The only way to cut these waits is to fix the broken social care system because every night there are 2,000 people marooned in hospital unnecessarily. They are medically ready to leave, but there are not enough care packages and care workers to get them home. It’s a care bottleneck that means long waits in A&E, ambulances stacking up outside and longer waits when you dial 999.

“In May, you should back the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach, regional ballot paper to reward care workers and attract more people into the profession to free up vital space in A&Es.”