Scottish Conservative and Unionist Sue Webber MSP for Lothian Region says A&E services in NHS Lothian are facing a “terrifying” winter.
Sue Webber MSP’s call comes after new statistics revealed only 61% of patients were seen within four hours at A&E in NHS Lothian during August.
At St John’s Hospital only 59.5% of patients were treated within the SNP’s four-hour target time whilst at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary it was just 48.1% of patients.
The SNP’s target is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours of arriving at A&E.
Sue Webber MSP says that if waiting times at A&E departments are this bad during the summer, she “dreads to think” how it will be during the winter months.
She added that the SNP have left services in a state of “permanent crisis” and have no positive vision for Scotland’s NHS, and urged SNP ministers to get out of the “Holyrood bubble”, accept the scale of the crisis in NHS Lothian and adopt common-sense Scottish Conservative plans to deliver a modern, efficient and local health service.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Sue Webber MSP said: “A&E waiting times in NHS Lothian remain absolutely appalling.
“Given only 61% of patients were seen during August, the prospect for patients and dedicated staff in NHS Lothian during the winter months is terrifying. Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s figure of 48.1% is of particular concern.
“I dread to think what scenes we will see in A&E corridors in the coming weeks and months if the SNP do not get a grip of this situation.
“Successive SNP health secretaries have left A&E services in NHS Lothian in a state of permanent crisis and they have no positive vision to fix it.
“It is time SNP health secretary Neil Gray got himself out of the Holyrood bubble and accepted the scale of the crisis in our NHS.
“The Scottish Conservatives have put forward a bold plan to deliver a modern, efficient and local health service and I urge Neil Gray and the SNP to adopt our proposals.”
