Peter Lazenby
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AMBULANCE response times and emergency department treatment times in Scotland have plummeted to new lows, leading to renewed calls for the resignation of the country’s Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.
Figures released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) show just 55 per cent of people were seen and subsequently admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours in the week up to December 18.
The SNP-run Scottish government’s target is 95 per cent.
The previous low, recorded in the week up to November 27, was recorded as 61.8 per cent.
More people are waiting longer than 12 hours in accident and emergency departments.
The number of people waiting more than eight hours also increased by almost 1,500 — from 3,045 to 4,536 — while those waiting more than four hours increased from 9,758 to 11,887.
Mr Yousaf blamed the cold snap, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent backlogs, and increases in flu and Strep A cases for the worsening service failures and said Scotland was facing “one of the toughest winters in the NHS’s 74-year history.”
He said 1,000 new NHS staff were being recruited.
But Scottish Labour said it was time for him to go.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “These horrific statistics lay bare an NHS in crisis.
“Despite the heroic efforts of staff, lives are now on the line.
“We simply cannot have nearly 2,000 Scots languishing for half a day in our A&E departments.
“The NHS is at breaking point but Humza Yousaf is missing in action.
“It’s time Mr Yousaf did the decent thing and resigned.”
