A&E cannot shake off ‘deep freeze of Government incompetence'
Scotland's emergency departments cannot 'shake off the deep freeze of SNP incompetence', Scottish Labour has said.
Figures released on Tuesday show A&E departments continue to struggle with waiting times, with 67.4% of patients seen within four hours in the week to March 30.
That was down slightly from 68.2% the week before, but remains well short of the 95% target set by the Scottish Government.
According to the figures, of the 27,441 attendances in the most recent week, 1,061 people waited longer than 12 hours to be seen, which is up proportionally from the previous week.
A total of 2,788 waited longer than eight hours – a proportional drop.
Responding to the figures, Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: 'Winter pressures may have eased but our NHS can't shake off the deep freeze of SNP incompetence.
'The SNP has run down the NHS but it's the hardworking staff and desperate patients who are forced to deal with the chaos in hospital corridors.'
Health Secretary Neil Gray – who has been consistently under fire in recent months over pressures in the health service – pointed to improvements based on the same week last year, when 62.9% of attendances were seen within four hours.
'Our A&E departments are still facing sustained pressure with high levels of hospital occupancy impacting patient flow and causing delays,' he said.
'Despite this, latest weekly figures show more than two-thirds of patients were seen within the four-hour target and performance is up 4.5% compared with the equivalent week last year.
'We are determined to drive improvement and are working closely with all boards to ensure they have the necessary measures in place to cope with any peaks in demand.
'Our £200 million of targeted investment will improve patient flow, enhance capacity and tackle delayed discharge.
'We are shifting the balance of care from acute to community. We are expanding Hospital at Home to at least 2,000 beds by the end of 2026, and will deliver direct access to specialist frailty teams in every A&E in Scotland by summer 2025.
'This will enable frail patients with complex needs to bypass A&E and receive the specialist care they need in the most suitable location for them.'
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Asked about his comments about a 'black service', Lord Adebowale went on: 'Why did I (say) it? Because I'm sick of it not changing like everyone else, and I'm close enough to it to know that it happens. 'I could have stood there and give you a load of stats, and you wouldn't be talking to me. 'And my mum, I think, God bless her, I think she would have wanted me to say it.' He added: 'The disproportionate poor services that too many poor people and too many black people experience, that's what I'm sick of.' He said there was nothing in his mother's medical records to suggest she had cancer, adding: 'She went to A&E in a poor condition. 'My sister described a hospital that was really struggling when she went in, she had to argue for mum to get a room. 'It was a very busy day. There had to be a negotiation to find a space, which you shouldn't have to do, but that's what happens when people are under pressure.' He added: 'We haven't got to the bottom of it, and that's why I'm not blaming anybody, and I don't want to, but I can talk about my experience and my observation of what happened to my mum. 'How does that happen? I know it does happen. People have chronic diseases and people don't know and they die of them – I know it's more likely to happen if you're black, it's also more likely to happen if you're poor. 'It's all part of the same story. I used to own story to illustrate a bigger problem, which is systemic.' On his mother, whose full name was Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale and who worked in various nursing sectors including mental health, acute care and maternity, he said: 'If you a nurse it is what you are, it's what you're born to do.' Commenting on Lord Adebowale's remarks, Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 'We extend our sincere condolences, thoughts and support to Lord Victor and the Adebowale family. 'The loss of a beloved family member is extremely difficult. We thank Victor for the candour in sharing his personal testimony. 'The NHS Race and Health Observatory continues to support healthcare organisations in implementing meaningful change for ethnic minority patients, communities, and members of the healthcare workforce.'Kate Seymour, from the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'Stories like Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale's highlight the heartbreaking reality for some when it comes to accessing cancer care in this country. 'It is categorically unacceptable that some people with cancer are having worse experiences simply because of who they are or where they live.' An NHS spokesperson said: 'Everyone – no matter their background – should receive the best NHS care possible. 'That's why we are working across the NHS to ensure that happens – from improving access to cancer diagnosis and treatment, to expanding health checks for Black and Asian communities and increasing uptake of blood pressure and cholesterol medication in under-served groups. 'But we know there is much more to do, and tackling health inequalities will form an important part of the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.'
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Health leader condemns ‘black service, not NHS service' received by mother
Lord Victor Adebowale, chairman of the NHS Confederation, described the death of his 92-year-old mother as 'undignified'. His mother Grace, who worked as an NHS nurse for 45 years, died in January of suspected lung cancer. But her cancer was not detected until after she died. Her case highlights systemic racial disparities in healthcare, Lord Adebowale said. 'I just think there are too many situations where people that look like me and shades of me don't get the service,' he said. In an emotional speech, Lord Adebowale told the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester: 'It was not the dignified death that we would have wanted for her. It wasn't the death she deserved. 'So it makes me clear about the need to address the inequity. I think she got a black service, not an NHS service. 'So I have to address the inequity that still exists within the NHS, in terms of the experiences that people who look like me continue to receive. 'It just hasn't got any better.' He went on: 'It is not acceptable that someone who looks like me, on average waits 20 minutes longer in A&E than white patients. 'To achieve an inclusive, equitable NHS we need an inclusive equitable culture from top to bottom.' Mrs Adebowale emigrated from Nigeria to Scotland in the 1950s. Lord Adebowale, who grew up in Wakefield, said that he did not want to blame anyone, but he said that he wanted to highlight a 'systematic problem'. 'She lived to the age of 92 and you may think, 'well, she had the good old innings', but for a lot of those years she was in some discomfort, and it looks like she died from cancer,' he told reporters. 'It's still the case that if you look like me, you're more likely to discover that you've got cancer in A&E, and that that for me is it's an example of two different services. 'I used the phrase 'black service'… you only have to look at the stats – across all the major disease categories that we talk about, black people have a worse experience and worse outcomes – we've known that for years, I'm not saying anything new. 'My mother is an episodic example of a systematic problem. 'We've got a cancer programme, we've got a cancer we've had targets for diagnostics, and pathways, and yet, people like my mother…' Lord Adebowale, who established the NHS Race and Health Observatory in 2021 to try and tackle inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic patients in healthcare, went on: 'I just think there are too many, too many situations where people that look like me and shades of me don't get the service. 'What I'm talking about is a systemic problem exampled by what I have experienced a my mum, and I think she represents a lot of other mums out there and lots of other people out there.' Asked about his comments about a 'black service', Lord Adebowale went on: 'Why did I (say) it? Because I'm sick of it not changing like everyone else, and I'm close enough to it to know that it happens. 'I could have stood there and give you a load of stats, and you wouldn't be talking to me. 'And my mum, I think, God bless her, I think she would have wanted me to say it.' He added: 'The disproportionate poor services that too many poor people and too many black people experience, that's what I'm sick of.' He said there was nothing in his mother's medical records to suggest she had cancer, adding: 'She went to A&E in a poor condition. 'My sister described a hospital that was really struggling when she went in, she had to argue for mum to get a room. 'It was a very busy day. There had to be a negotiation to find a space, which you shouldn't have to do, but that's what happens when people are under pressure.' He added: 'We haven't got to the bottom of it, and that's why I'm not blaming anybody, and I don't want to, but I can talk about my experience and my observation of what happened to my mum. 'How does that happen? I know it does happen. People have chronic diseases and people don't know and they die of them – I know it's more likely to happen if you're black, it's also more likely to happen if you're poor. 'It's all part of the same story. I used to own story to illustrate a bigger problem, which is systemic.' On his mother, whose full name was Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale and who worked in various nursing sectors including mental health, acute care and maternity, he said: 'If you a nurse it is what you are, it's what you're born to do.' Commenting on Lord Adebowale's remarks, Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: 'We extend our sincere condolences, thoughts and support to Lord Victor and the Adebowale family. 'The loss of a beloved family member is extremely difficult. We thank Victor for the candour in sharing his personal testimony. 'The NHS Race and Health Observatory continues to support healthcare organisations in implementing meaningful change for ethnic minority patients, communities, and members of the healthcare workforce.'Kate Seymour, from the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'Stories like Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale's highlight the heartbreaking reality for some when it comes to accessing cancer care in this country. 'It is categorically unacceptable that some people with cancer are having worse experiences simply because of who they are or where they live.' An NHS spokesperson said: 'Everyone – no matter their background – should receive the best NHS care possible. 'That's why we are working across the NHS to ensure that happens – from improving access to cancer diagnosis and treatment, to expanding health checks for Black and Asian communities and increasing uptake of blood pressure and cholesterol medication in under-served groups. 'But we know there is much more to do, and tackling health inequalities will form an important part of the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.'
