Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board has seen the highest number of admissions to A&E while the waiting times soar, new figures have revealed.
In the week ending February 13, only 73.2% of Scots who went to A&E were seen and subsequently admitted or discharged within the four-hour target, down from 74.4% the previous week, according to figures released by Public Health Scotland.
Across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, Glasgow had the highest number of patients attending the accident and emergency rooms, seeing 5,920 in one week.
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Out of those, 78.1% of patients were seen within the four hour window. A total of 172 patients waited over eight hours, with 36 waiting over 12 hours.
NHS Lanarkshire had saw a 62 patients waiting over 12 hours to be seen, while 295 waited over eight hours. That health board only saw 63% of patients being seen within the four hour target.
The Scottish Government aims to ensure 95% of patients are seen to within four hours - a target that has not been met since July 2020 and has been missed by Glasgow.
Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie has described the figures as "chaos", while Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the waiting times were "unacceptable".
Despite this, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said that Scotland's waiting times were the "best in the UK" and showed improvement.
The figures show that waiting times in A&E are at the worst level since early January. NHS Borders had the longest wait times, with only 60.2% of patients being seen within four hours, closely followed by NHS Lanarkshire at 63.7% and NHS Lothian at 65.7%.
Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie continued: “For months Humza Yousaf has allowed our A&E departments across Scotland to stagger from crisis to crisis as thousands of Scots have waited hours and hours for vital treatment.
“Staff on the frontline have worked tirelessly, but have been continually failed by an SNP government that has refused to admit that the NHS, our most valued service, is in crisis.
“We cannot allow dangerously lengthy waits at A&E to become the new normal.
“Enough is enough – Humza Yousaf must act to end the chaos in A&E departments before lives are lost.”
Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said waiting times should be improving with the peak of the Omicron variant of coronavirus having passed.
He told the Press Association: "It's unacceptable that more than a quarter of patients had to wait more than four hours to be seen - and intolerable that almost 500 were forced to wait half a day to be seen - because lives will be needlessly lost," he said.
"Every week, it seems, I call on Humza Yousaf to get to grips with this crisis and devise a coherent plan for tackling it - but nothing changes.
"The Health Secretary appears wedded to his inadequate Covid recovery plan when it's patently obvious it isn't fit for purpose.
"Staff on Scotland's under-resourced A&E front line must be at their wits' end - they have worked heroically throughout the pandemic yet been let down by the SNP Government."
Waiting times have shown a "marked improvement" since last year, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said.
"Almost three-quarters of patients were seen within the four-hour target and this is reflective of the improvements we are seeing in staff absence and the series of measures implemented to minimise pressures across our A&E services," she added.
"NHS staff continue to face unprecedented pressures as they work to respond to the pandemic whilst continuing to provide vital treatment and optimal patient care.
"Scotland has the best-performing A&Es in the UK. In fact, Scotland's A&Es have outperformed those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for over six years.
"Our NHS staff have worked incredibly hard during the pandemic and they have our thanks for the care they continue to provide the people of Scotland."
A spokesman for NHS GCC issued an apology to those who have been forced to wait for A&E appointments. They told Glasgow Live: "Our A&E teams are working incredibly hard to see, treat, diagnose, and admit or discharge patients as quickly as possible. In recent weeks pressures on services have continued due to COVID infections and staffing pressures.
"Within NHSGGC all our sites are operating well above normal capacity which is having an impact on service provision.
"We want to apologise to anyone who has had a lengthy wait for emergency care. Our clinical teams continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Scottish Ambulance Service to care for our patients and support the delivery of safe and effective care.
"We continue to ask everyone that, unless their condition is life-threatening, they should not attend an Emergency Department (A&E).
"Please remember that our partner GP surgeries across the Board area are open, and continue to provide great care for their communities. Pharmacies also have expert knowledge and can advise on minor ailments, or give simple healthcare advice. If you are in any doubt about who you should contact, or require out of hours care, please call NHS24 on 111 in the first instance as they will be able to direct you to the best place to receive treatment, which could include one of our Minor Injuries Units."
