New figures show that 45 per cent of patients who presented at University Hospital Ayr’s A&E faced waits longer than the four-hour standard.

Across NHS Ayrshire & Arran, more than 40 per cent of patients endured A&E waiting times in excess of the four-hour mark.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran has apologised to all patients who’ve faced lengthy waiting times at Accident and Emergency departments.

They said that current demand across their whole health and care system was having a major impact on the wait times.

Despite the SNP Government’s target that 95 per cent of patients should be seen within four hours at A&E, just 59.1 per cent of patients were seen within this time frame in NHS Ayrshire and Arran – according to the latest figures.

At University Hospital Ayr, just 55 per cent were seen within this period.

South Scotland Conservative List MSP, Sharon Dowey, said the figures were “extremely worrying.”

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