Scotland NHS crisis: Lives will be lost this winter due to extreme A&E wait times, warns top medic - The Scotsman

Scotland NHS crisis: Lives will be lost this winter due to extreme A&E wait times, warns top medic – The Scotsman

One of Scotland’s leading medics has warned lives will be lost this winter due to spiralling accident-and-emergency waiting times, with patients suffering from a “lack of dignity” under an NHS system in crisis.

Dr John-Paul Loughrey, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Scotland, conceded the medical body was “deeply concerned” about this winter.

The college has estimated one in 72 patients waiting between eight to 12 hours in an emergency department can die.

It comes as the latest A&E figures showed 3,048 patients had waited more than eight hours and 1,276 more than 12 hours in the week to December 4.

The warning was issued as it was revealed Scotland’s cancer treatment waiting times had fallen to their worst performance on record in a situation labelled a “full-blown disaster” by opposition political parties.

Dr Loughrey said patients were continued to face “exceptionally dangerous long waits”.

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12 May 2024