SNP under pressure over 'perpetual crisis' in Scotland's A&Es as waits soar and targets missed

John Swinney’s government is under fire after waiting times for A&E departments soared - with the situation facing patients branded ‘unacceptable’

SNP ministers have been accused of overseeing a “perpetual crisis” in Scotland’s A&E departments after new figures revealed a soaring number of patients forced to wait longer than the government’s target time.

The Scottish government has put its record on the NHS on the line ahead of May’s election, with Labour hoping to sway public support in their favour away from the SNP on the issue.

Ambulances can be forced to queue with their patients outside hospitals because there is no space in A&E (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Medical professionals have told The Scotsman the situation facing patients in need of emergency care in Scotland is “unacceptable”.

The warning over emergency care comes after the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) raised the alarm over the Scottish government’s financial sustainability in funding the NHS earlier this week.

As well as warning flagship SNP policies including free prescriptions are at risk in the coming years without further tax hikes, the IFS has highlighted that hospitals and ambulance services will “deteriorate sharply” without cuts to other health spending.

The IFS stressed the SNP government’s plans imply a substantial reduction in the share of funding going towards hospitals and the ambulance service, and a big increase in the share going to other services, such as primary care and social care.

First Minister John Swinney and Health Secretary Neil Gray | PA

New Public Health Scotland data published on Tuesday shows that in the week ending February 8, 61.4 per cent of A&E patients waited more than four hours to be either admitted, transferred or discharged.

The figure is down from 61.8 per cent in the previous week, with performance well below the Scottish government target of having 95 per cent of A&E patients admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target.

According to the latest statistics, that target was missed for 10,195 patients in the week ending February 8.

There were 4,212 patients – representing 15.9 per cent of cases – who spent more than eight hours in A&E.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,095 patients – 7.9 per cent of cases – were there for at least 12 hours, with both these totals up from the previous week.

Dr Fiona Hunter, Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) vice president for Scotland, said: “The situation in our A&Es across Scotland, is, put simply, unacceptable.

“Our members, their colleagues and our patients, winter after winter, keep experiencing awful conditions because the health system is running over capacity.

“This data doesn’t capture where the real harm lies, which is in waits of 12 hours or more, which have skyrocketed over the last decade. In 2015, 1,785 patients faced this wait to be admitted, discharged, or transferred. In 2025, 74,052 patients waited this long.”

She added: “We know long waits before admission are linked to hundreds of avoidable deaths each year. In 2024, RCEM estimates there were more than 800. It’s not just a statistic, we are talking about people’s loved ones.

“The crisis is fixable and it comes down to patient flow in hospitals.”

She called on ministers to focus on freeing up beds by getting patients out of hospital when they are well enough to leave.

“We are getting through this winter, as we always do. But it's taking a heavy toll - on staff and patients,” Dr Hunter said.

Dr Joanna Bredski, chair of BMA Scotland’s consultant committee, said: “These long waits in A&E are a sign of just how much pressure the whole system is under.

“We know that longer waits lead to worse outcomes for patients, so this is worrying enough, but it also points to further problems across the NHS, with insufficient beds meaning capacity being reached or exceeded and social care services not resourced sufficiently to deal with people who are ready to be discharged and would be better cared for at home, or close to home.

“As well as patients facing the stress of longer waits, these pressures are also taking their toll on doctors who are trying their best in impossible circumstances – which risks high rates of burnout and doctors leaving the NHS altogether.”

She added: “Indeed, with the NHS under pressure all year round, it’s easy to see how services, including A&E, are constantly being pushed close to the edge of, and in some cases beyond, what they can cope with.

“What is fundamentally required is urgent reform of the NHS in Scotland to place it on a secure and sustainable footing. A proper doctor workforce plan, which looks at levels of patient need and the doctors we require for the future is key to this – and long overdue.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the latest figures showed the NHS “in ruins after two decades of SNP mismanagement”.

Scottish Conservative health spokesperson, Dr Sandesh Gulhane | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He said: “Week after week, thousands of patients are left waiting in pain and distress in bursting A&E departments. We know these dangerous delays cost lives.”

While the Tory MSP insisted frontline hospital staff “are working tirelessly for their patients”, he said they were hindered in this as a result of “years of dire SNP workforce planning”.

Calling for action from the First Minister and his Health Secretary, Dr Gulhane said: “John Swinney and Neil Gray need to get out of the Holyrood bubble and listen to exhausted patients and staff who are crying out for a real plan to address this crisis.”

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie claimed “A&E is still stuck in a state of constant crisis after years of warm words and empty promises by SNP ministers”.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie | PA

She said: “With the number of people suffering through dangerously long waits rising yet again, it is clear that John Swinney and the SNP have no idea how to fix this crisis.

“This arrogant and complacent SNP Government expects long-suffering patients to accept the unacceptable and hardworking staff to do the impossible.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Under this SNP Government, our A&E departments are trapped in what feels like a state of perpetual crisis.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton | PA

“Waits have remained extremely long for years on end with little sign of improvement.”

Arguing that ministers need to improve social care to deal with issues in the NHS, Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “A&E departments are backed up because there are so many people who are stuck in hospital and unable to leave because the care package they need is not available.

“You cannot fix the NHS and bring down A&E waits without fixing social care.”

As well as fears being raised over A&E care, the SNP government faces failing to meet a flagship target, for the second time, to end Scots waiting more than a year for an outpatient appointment, in-patient treatment or day case treatment. Although some progress has been made, the vow is on track to fall short.

A Scottish government spokesperson accepted that “A&E departments are facing sustained pressures”, adding that “health boards continue to report higher levels of hospital occupancy which is impacting on patient flow and leading to delays at the front door”.

The spokesperson said: “We are also seeing higher numbers of A&E attendances compared to the same time last year.

“This situation is not unique to Scotland with all other UK nations experiencing similar pressures.

“However, we are clear that these are below the levels we need to see. That is why we are investing over £220 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow and minimise delayed discharges to improve patient’s experiences.”

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