Rutherglen children are being placed at risk from ongoing problems with A&E departments in Glasgow, an MSP has claimed.
Last week Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children appealed to parents not to use its' A & E department unless in emergency or life-threatening situations, following a week where attendance hit the highest level seen in over seven years.
Attendance was 25 per cent higher than the year’s average, leading to a drop in the number of people seen within the four hour target time.
That left more than 200 children having to wait more than four hours before being seen.
NHS bosses have advised parents to use alternative services including local pharmacies, GPs, NHS24, NHS Inform and 111 where possible to reduce the number of children presenting at the hospital.
Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy has now slammed the current situation.
Ms Duncan-Glancy, a list MSP for Glasgow, feels that Rutherglen patients who use Glasgow hospitals rather than Lanarkshire ones are being let down.
She told Lanarkshire Live : "A&E departments across the country are in crisis, leaving NHS staff and patients facing incredibly challenging conditions, with little reassurance that things will improve.
"The mismanagement of this crisis has meant hardworking staff are being pushed to breaking point, they are demoralised. Hospitals are overwhelmed and now patients are being told to look for alternative options – of which there are fewer by the day.
“I’m gravely concerned that appealing to people to stay away from A&E unless in an emergency could lead to some of my constituents in Rutherglen not getting the treatment and care that they need, putting lives at risk. "
A&E waiting times have become a political flash point in recent months, as services struggle to cope with backlogs from the coronavirus pandemic and with a number of medical staff leaving the profession.
Health secretary Humza Yousaf recently stated: "Delayed discharge continues to be the single biggest factor driving up A&E waits.
"We are striving to ensure people leave hospital without delay and receive the right care in the right setting, ensuring vital hospital beds are there for those who need them most. We all have a part to play in reducing pressure on services this winter and I would urge people to only attend A&E if their condition is an emergency.
“Our £600m winter plan which will see us recruit 1000 new NHS staff, including up to 750 frontline nurses from overseas."
* Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
