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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Tracy Carmichael

Health board urges residents to avoid A&E once more as figures show improvement

The Royal Alexandra Hospital's A&E department is making a slow recovery following the fresh spike in covid cases that helped cripple services.

Fresh figures show 67.3 per cent of the 1,023 patients who passed through the doors of the hospital's emergency department in the week ending April 17 were treated in line with the Scottish Government's four hour waiting time target.

It marks a long-awaited turnaround in the fortunes of the Corsebar Road hospital after months of struggles amidst growing A&E waits, which were amongst the worst in Scotland.

But politicians have warned that the upturn "isn't good enough" and patients are still "being let down".

The struggling Royal Alexandra Hospital (Andrew Neil)

Scottish Government targets demand that 95 per cent of patients attending A&E are treated, admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

But the target has rarely been met across Scotland since the outbreak of the covid pandemic.

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The RAH's emergency treatment waiting times have often been amongst the worst in Scotland, as workers - who union leaders have described as being "on their knees" - attempted to battle on in the wake of the toll the pandemic has taken on services and staff.

Scottish Labour's health spokesman, MSP Paul O'Kane, told the Express: "The A&E figures have indeed improved very slightly this week but I’m afraid that given the scale of the crisis in our NHS, a slight improvement isn’t good enough at least I don’t think it is, but perhaps that might be the SNP’s way of measuring success now.

"The stats tell us that hundreds of patients are still being let down - waiting over the 4 hour mark to be seen and the stats show that the RAH’s dedicated staff are still being let down by SNP inaction.

"I’d love to know what action if any the Health Secretary has considered since his visit to the RAH because at the moment it’s as if he was never there."

His comments were echoed by Paisley-based West Scotland MSP Neil Bibby, who said: "This is yet another reminder of the enormous challenges RAH staff face every day. The NHS has been on the brink for months and that is not remotely sustainable. Staff, patients and their families deserve better than this.

"The Scottish Government need to rethink their Recovery Plan urgently."

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf was forced to call at the hospital in March to speak with management and staff leaders in a bid to iron out difficulties at the site, after Unison stewards made repeated warnings of "chronic" staff shortages and a "dire" situation at the hospital since as far back as last October.

Data reveals that 335 patients waited more than four hours at the RAH for emergency treatment, while 92 waited eight hours or more.

Eleven patients waited 12 hours, according to the figures.

But the latest figure was still below the board average figure for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde-run hospitals, which stands at 69.8 per cent.

The Scottish average figure against the four hour wait time standard was 68.1 per cent - vastly below the Scottish Government's own target of 95 per cent.

Hospitals are still struggling to improve A&E performance - with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Govan-based Queen Elizabeth University Hospital managing to see just 48.2 per cent of 1,701 patients who sought emergency treatment at the site within four hours, according to the latest figures.

Doctors leaders have also warned that the NHS is failing staff and patients.

Dr John Thomson, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, earlier warned: "Scotland’s emergency care system is failing patients who are coming to harm, and failing staff who are overworked, exhausted, and burned out, but are left to cover the widespread shortcomings of the health system out."

Scottish Government health supremo Humza Yousaf has defended the Scottish Government’s record, saying: “the reason that we’re seeing this level of pressure is because of the pressures of the pandemic”, adding: “These last two years have frankly been the most difficult of the NHS’s almost 73 year existence.”

The rise of the ultra-contagious Omicron BA.2 covid variant sparked a fresh rise in cases which saw NHS chiefs urge residents to stay away from A&E departments once more.

Mr Yousaf has boasted of a £300 million investment to help services deal with pressures last winter, alongside an £11 million five-year package aimed at recruiting staff nationally and internationally and funding of up to £15 million to help heatlh boards hire staff to provide additional capacity across a range of services.

The Scottish Government say Scotland has the best paid NHS staff in the UK.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde defended their record, saying the pandemic has helped pile on the pressure, but urged residents to avoid A&E if possible.

Dr Scott Davidson, Deputy Medical Director for Acute Services at NHSGGC, said: “While case numbers are reducing and restrictions continue to be eased, COVID-19 is still very much with us, and that is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future.

“Our hospitals are near capacity and while our staff are doing everything they can to care for the increased numbers of patients we are seeing, the challenges they face are as great as they have ever been throughout the pandemic.

“As has been the case over the past two years, we continue to prioritise emergency, trauma and urgent care. However, if you feel you or someone you know needs medical help, we would strongly urge that you do all you can to support our staff and services, by carefully considering all the options available to you.

“If you have a minor ailment, a community pharmacy will be able to help, and GPs are open and continue to offer a wide range of healthcare services. If you think you need urgent medical help, please contact your GP or call NHS24 on 111. These are the best places to access the care you need.

“Please do not come to A&E unless you are suffering from a very urgent or life-threatening condition.”

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