Over one third of patients at University Hospital Wishaw's A&E department waited more than eight hours for treatment

Daily Record

16-07-2025

Official date shows 292 patients (22.6 per cent) waited more than eight hours and 156 patients (12.1 per cent) waited more than 12 hours.
Over one third of patients at University Hospital Wishaw's A&E department waited more than eight hours for treatment shock new figures have revealed.
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The latest A&E waiting time figures show that for the week ending July 6, 564 patients were seen within the four hour target - that's 56.3 per cent.
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However, 292 patients (22.6 per cent) waited more than eight hours and 156 patients (12.1 per cent) waited more than 12 hours as hard-working NHS staff continue to battle crippling waiting times.
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At other NHS Lanarkshire hospitals, University Hospital Monklands 52.7 per cent of patients were seen within the four hour target.
But 18.2 per cent of patients waited more than eight hours and 7.9 per cent waited 12 hours.
At Hairmyres in East Kilbride, 58.2 per cent were seen within four hours. However, the numbers for long waits dropped considerably with 11.2 per cent of patients waiting eight hours and 3.5 per cent waiting 12 hours.
Health Secretary, and Airdrie and Shotts MSP, Neil Gray insisted Scotland's A&E departments were the best performing in the UK in the past decade.
'The latest weekly figures show continued improvement in performance, both compared to the previous week and the same period in 2024,' he said.
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'In addition, 12-hour waits have decreased by 16.4 per cent compared to this time last year.
'This is welcome progress. However, I know that some people are still waiting too long for treatment and I am determined to drive further improvement.
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'We are investing £200 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges.
'Our recently announced expansion of the Hospital at Home initiative to 2,000 beds by the end of 2026 will ensure more people can receive first class NHS care in the comfort of their own homes and not have to travel to a hospital where it isn't required.'
In the week previously, 56.5 per cent of patients at Wishaw were seen within the four hour target; the figure dropped to 47.3 per cent for Hairmyres.
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However, Monklands had 61.3 per cent of patients seen within the target period.
Across Scotland, 68.2 per cent of A&E attendances in the week to July 6 were seen and subsequently admitted or discharged within the four-hour target time.
The figure continues a trend of small increases, rising from 67.8 per cent the previous week.
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The Scottish Government aims to ensure 95 per cent of people are seen within four hours.
Opposition parties rounded on the health secretary and the Scottish Government over the figures.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: 'Lives are still being put at risk by the chaos in A&E - this cannot be allowed to become the new normal.
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'Every single week thousands of Scots are facing dangerously long waits for urgent care, despite the tireless efforts of dedicated NHS staff.
'It has been years since the SNP last met its A&E targets and it is still falling badly short - there is absolutely no room for complacency.'
Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane added: 'John Swinney should hang his head in shame.
'It's the height of summer, yet nearly a third of patients are still waiting over four hours to be seen at A&E.
'Our NHS is buckling under pressure that should have eased months ago - because one SNP Health Secretary after another has run it into the ground.
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