Swinney tells Scots to stay away from A&E unless necessary amid 'winter NHS crisis'
SNP ministers are urging Scots to only turn up at A&E if absolutely necessary as emergency departments face pressure this winter.
John Swinney has told Scots to only attend A&E departments when necessary amid fears that the “brewing winter NHS crisis is beginning to bite”.
The warning comes as the First Minister admitted that waits at emergency departments across Scotland are “causing concern”.
The SNP leader’s admission comes after the latest statistics revealed a rise in the number of patients waiting both four and eight hours to be seen at emergency departments.
Figures show that in the week ending November 1, 5,095 patients waited more than eight hours at A&E while 2,464 people were forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen.
Public Health Scotland’s data showed that in the same week, 57.8 per cent of patients in A&E were seen and then subsequently admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours – down from 58.9 per cent the previous week.
In the seven days to November 1 a total of 12,056 people spent longer than four hours in A&E across Scotland.
READ MORE: Constance calls for NHS medics to 'step up' this winter as A&E clinicians 'under the cosh'
This was only the third time ever the total number of patients for whom the four-hour target was missed has exceeded 12,000 – with this having happened previously in December 2022 and then again in the week ending October 4 this year.
Performance in A&E departments continues to be significantly below the Scottish government’s target of having 95 per cent of patients admitted, transferred or discharged inside four hours.
The statistics come after senior doctors at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow, penned a letter to healthcare watchdog, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, warning that patients were being put in harms way due to delays to emergency care.
The medics argued that the situation in the QEUH emergency department, the largest in Scotland, has worsened since their last review undertaken in 2024 and published last year.
Scottish Labour health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, argued that the “damning statistics” showed that “the brewing winter NHS crisis is beginning to bite”.
She added: “There is simply no excuse for the repeated failure of this government to get to grips with the crisis in our A&E departments.
"Earlier this week, senior clinicians at the QEUH raised the alarm on the situation in Glasgow A&E departments, stating plainly that patient's lives were being put at risk.
"We cannot have more complacency and indifference from the SNP government.
"It's time to listen to the clinicians and act before Scotland is plunged into a deadly winter NHS crisis."
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson, Miles Briggs, argued that the “atrocious figures point to another terrifying and miserable winter ahead in Scotland’s A&E departments”.
He added: “John Swinney and his ministers must stop pretending everything is fine and finally get a grip on worsening A&E waiting times, which are leaving patients suffering scandalous delays for treatment.
“The SNP’s flimsy winter recovery plan will continue to leave thousands of patients languishing at A&E every single week because frontline services don’t have the resources to meet demand.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, Adam Harley, said: “It is unacceptable that so many patients are waiting hours on end at A&E.
“Our analysis shows that there are now hundreds of deaths a year associated with long waits at emergency departments. This crisis has become lethal.”
He added: “These waits are happening because too many hospital beds are occupied by people who can’t get the care package they need to return home.
“Ministers must finally listen to our plans to boost pay and conditions for care workers, which will attract more people into the profession and help free up life-saving space at A&E.”
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Swinney acknowledged that A&E waiting times across Scotland is “an issue which is causing concern”.
He said: “The issues around A&E performance are the subject of regular discussions between the Health Secretary and I and the leadership of the National Health Service.
“We want to make sure that individuals are able to access the type of care that they require.”
The First Minister has appealed for people requiring healthcare to consider other means before turning up at A&E departments in a bid to reduce pressure on emergency care.
He said: “There are a range of different healthcare services that individuals can attend, whether that’s GP walk-in services, Pharmacy First or their own GP services - before they would consider attending accident and emergency.
“If we are able to encourage and motivate people to use the range of different healthcare services that are available around the country, we will reduce the presentation of demand at A&E departments, which is a significant challenge at the moment.”
Asked about the concerns raised at the QEUH, Mr Swinney said it was “an operational matter” for the health board.
Earlier, Health Secretary Angela Constance explicitly urged Scots to attend A&E “only when necessary”, stressing the move “supports our dedicated health and social care staff, who remain the cornerstone of our winter response”.
Ms Constance said: “Our A&E departments are under significant pressures as we head into the winter period and we are asking people to play their part by using services appropriately – calling 999 only in a genuine emergency, dialling 111 for non-emergencies, and using A&E only when necessary.
“This supports our dedicated health and social care staff, who remain the cornerstone of our winter response and continue to show great resilience and determination.”
The Health Secretary added the Scottish government is “taking action through our plan to improve hospital flow, which includes expanding Hospital at Home services, and implementing the ‘discharge without delay’ approach in all health boards this winter, which will see people discharged within three days of admission if clinically appropriate”.
She added: “We have launched a new public awareness campaign, shifting the focus to wider healthcare services such as pharmacies, to help people access the right care in the right place, at the right time.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.