Lots of of Scots have spent greater than two days ready to be seen at certainly one of Scotland's struggling A&E wards within the final 12 months, shock figures have proven.
Anas Sarwar mentioned it was proof of the disaster gripping the NHS because it prepares for a winter season that's anticipated to be much more difficult than standard.
The Scottish Labour chief mentioned 859 folks waited greater than 36 hours to be assessed and both admitted, handled or discharged in A&E departments - and an additional 243 folks waited greater than 48 hours to be seen.
The figures have been uncovered by his get together in a sequence of Freedom of Data requests.
Talking at FMQs, Sarwar mentioned A&E departments are in "disarray" as he urged Nicola Sturgeon to confess her authorities and the Well being Secretary are out of their depth in tackling the disaster.
He mentioned: "First Minister, I've come right here week after week asking you to take this disaster severely. So don’t level to bulletins made final 12 months. Don’t inform us how a lot you care. Don’t repeat how unacceptable you assume it's. Inform us what you’re going to do to repair it and by when."
It got here after Scottish Labour well being spokeswoman Jackie Baillie yesterday branded Humza Yousaf the worst Well being Secretary since devolution.
Sarwar mentioned immediately: "The First Minister ought to replicate on the truth that we’re speaking about folks’s lives right here. Lives are being misplaced due to the failure in our A&Es and the failures of this Authorities.
"That is the worst it has ever been. How unhealthy does it need to get? How lengthy do folks have to attend? What number of lives need to be misplaced earlier than this First Minister admits that this Well being Secretary and her Authorities don't know what they're doing?”
Sturgeon pointed to progress in the newest A&E wait occasions, the place a slight enchancment was recorded within the week to October 16 in comparison with the week earlier than.
The variety of folks seen in 4 hours elevated to 65.3 per cent – up from 64.2 per cent – and people ready greater than eight and 12 hours additionally improved. She hit out at Labour’s failure to say the affect of Covid on the well being service.
She mentioned: “It's as a result of that is so severe, as a result of at any time when we discuss concerning the NHS it's lives that we're speaking about, that you will need to take this severely and to have a look at all the components right here.
"Which is why I believe it's affordable to say that when Labour come to the chamber and attempt to debate the NHS and fake the pandemic didn’t occur, and that that isn’t one of many most important explanation why we're seeing so many of those pressures, means that they aren't taking this problem as severely as they need to be.
"We'll proceed to take actions round staffing, round funding, round redesigning of care to help our well being service by way of this. We'll give attention to that each day, from the Well being Secretary, me and the complete Authorities.
"There's a lot, a lot work to be accomplished. We're going into a really difficult winter interval which is why hospitals throughout the nation, well being boards throughout the nation, are working arduous to plan for winter, and this Authorities will proceed to help them."
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