Fife A&E figures below national average

The results for the last week in August are below the latest national figures, which show that 95.8 per cent of patients were seen within four hours from Scotland’s A&E departments in July.

During the four-hour period, patients will be clinically assessed and undergo tests and treatment, before subsequently being discharged or admitted to hospital. The four hour period covers treatment and discharge/admit decision making.

In total, there were 1259 attendances at the Victoria’s A&E department in the week to August 28. Eighty-eight waited more than four hours and six waited more than eight hours but no one had to wait longer than 12 hours.

The national results for July show the same performance as the same period in 2105, and 0.1 per cent higher than the previous month of June 2016.

Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health, said: “As we have seen throughout the year, A&E performance will fluctuate from week to week and also from hospital to hospital as pressure on the service varies.

“At a monthly level, improvement has been made over the year and we are continually working to retain and build on this to ensure patients get the service they rightly deserve.

“Nationally, our core accident and emergency performance has remained better than elsewhere in the UK for the last 16 months of published data, from March 2015 to June 2016. To achieve this, health boards are continuing to implement our six essential actions which aim to minimise long delays in A&E and assessment units by improving patient flow throughout all areas of the hospital and community.

“We have also put record investment in place and increased staffing to help meet demand and are working closely with health boards to minimise any dips in performance. We want to see long-term, sustainable change put in place in order to maintain high levels of performance during peaks and troughs, which is why we are committed to focus support in this key patient care priority.”