Cole-Hamilton: SNP are leaving A&E in state of permacrisis

Responding to new figures showing only 62.1% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in the week ending 7th April, while 3,627 people waited over 8 hours and 1,723 waited over 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

"Every week in our A&E departments thousands of people are waiting hours on end to get seen. It has been years since patients and staff experienced normal conditions.

"Normally at this time of year you would expect to see waiting times improve as we get past the busy winter period but right now it's moving in the opposite direction. The SNP's failure to help our NHS recover has left A&E in a state of permacrisis.

"Patients and staff alike deserve better than this mismanagement. We need to finally see meaningful action taken to reverse this situation.

"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.”