Waiting times for patients at A&E at Dumfries and Galloway hospitals have slumped to their worst rate for 15 years.
One out of five patients at emergency units in the region have to wait more than four hours to be treated or discharged – and it’s been that way for eight months.
Patients should wait no more than four hours to have their treatment concluded and be discharged, or transferred elsewhere.
The Scottish Government set a target of 95 per cent of patients to be dealt within this four-hour window.
However, between October, 2021, and May, 2022, that number had fluctuated between 79.7 percent and 82.9 percent in Dumfries and Galloway.
The most recent monthly figure, for May, 2022, showed that 4,136 patients attended A&E at Dumfries Infirmary and Galloway Community Hospital but only 81.2 per cent of them were treated or discharged within the four-hour time frame.
Public Health Scotland records show that in July, 2007, the region’s waiting time figure was 97.1 per cent. Health board chief executive Jeff Ace has emphasised the huge pressures overstretched hospital staff have been under due to the impact of the pandemic.
A spokesman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway also argued that medical staff do respond quickly at A&E but that blocks in the care system and a shortage of beds leads to delays in treatment being wrapped up. He said: “The four-hour target window in the ISD Scotland figures is for a person’s treatment at an emergency department to have reached a conclusion – and they are either sent home, admitted into another department or transferred to another facility.
“So when the figures note that the Scottish Government’s four-hour target has been breached, this does not mean the patient has been waiting over four hours to be seen or treated.
“Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary’s emergency department has one of the quickest response times in Scotland. People are seen and assessed rapidly, with treatment provided as quickly as possible – based on clinical urgency.
“Some very busy periods might mean having to wait for a little while as other people assessed with a more pressing need are prioritised.
“And a busy system can mean challenges in admitting people who have been assessed and treated in ED into other areas of the hospital or to another facility.
“Factors can include waiting for transport arrangements to return home once treatment is concluded. It is also frequently because treatment is still ongoing.
“We are mindful of targets and always working to improve processes and achieve those targets.”
