CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has described A&E waiting times for Midlothian patients as “shocking”, as NHS Lothian recorded its worst ever Accident and Emergency waiting times on record.
This was the second time in the past month that the health board recorded its worst ever Accident and Emergency waiting times.
The latest figures show only 65.6% of patients were seen within four hours of arrival at A&E, with over a third of patients waiting more than four hours to be seen.
The Scottish Government’s target is for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours of arrival at A&E, a target that has not been met since July 2020, four months into the pandemic.
Mr Hoy has urged the Health Secretary to get a grip of the situation before the peak Winter period hits.
He said: “I have written to Humza Yousaf three times about the crisis in our accident and emergency departments.
“He has been incapable of getting to grips with this crisis, and more and more patients are paying the price.
“I have received many emails and letters detailing heart-breaking accounts of long waits across Midlothian, with some patients in severe pain waiting up to 40 hours for an ambulance.
“Frontline staff in NHS Lothian are completely overwhelmed and we have not yet reached the peak winter period.
“Support from our UK Armed Forces to assist NHS services is hugely welcome, but Humza Yousaf was too slow to react to this crisis. He must deal with it now otherwise Midlothian will endure a truly dreadful winter.”
