Let's pick up the pace on investment in our NHS
Responding to new figures showing that five of Scotland's health boards have failed to meet the target of seeing 95 per cent of Accident and Emergency patients within four hours, Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said:
“The Scottish Government needs to pick up the pace on investment in our NHS to achieve the target for emergency treatment. It’s particularly disappointing to see Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and St John’s lagging so far behind. The pressure on staff at these hospitals is enormous and we must see targeted support to ease the strain.
“We must tackle the recruitment and retention problem in the health service by making jobs more attractive, with time for skills development. We must also provide more social care places to free up space in hospitals, and shift spending towards preventative measures on wages, housing, transport and food, to make Scotland’s population healthier. And given that most patient contacts are with GPs we must invest in primary care services to reduce demand for acute services such as A&E.”
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary recorded the worst performance, at 84.9 per cent. St John's was 2nd worst at 87 per cent.
Weekly Update of Emergency Department Activity and Waiting Times Statistics (ISD Scotland)