An MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife has slammed the latest A&E waiting times for Fife.

Murdo Fraser described the waiting times as “unacceptable” following the release of statistics by Public Health Scotland at the end of April.

The statistics relate to the number of patients at Fife’s A&E department at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy in the week ending April 7, compared to the week ending April 14.

The figures showed that the number of patients who had to wait more than four hours increased from 458 to 524. The number of A&E patients who waited more than eight hours to be seen increased from 74 to 114.

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Mr Fraser said: “These latest statistics on the A&E waiting times are unacceptable and must be addressed by the SNP Government. This is an issue that unfortunately never seems to improve and should be one of the SNP’s main priorities.

“During (former First Minister) Humza Yousaf’s tenure as Health Minister, A&E waiting time figures were poor and they are still a major cause for concern under the present Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care, Neil Gray.”

Since 2007, A&E performance has been monitored against the Scottish Government's four-hour access standard. This suggests that 95 per cent of A&E patients should wait no longer than four hours from their arrival to admission.

Mr Fraser added: “These concerning A&E waiting time statistics are symptomatic of the SNP’s poor handling of our NHS and show just how much they have completely lost focus on issues that matter to the people of Scotland."

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Health Secretary Neil Gray responded: “Health services continue to experience sustained pressure and waiting times are longer than we want them to be for too many patients. We continue to work collaboratively with health boards to develop services, support sustained improvement and reduce A&E waits.

“I am pleased to see continued improvements in performance this week with further decreases in the number of patients waiting longer than 8 and 12 hours – this is despite an increase in the number of people attending A&E.

“The 2024-25 Scottish Budget provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards. An initial investment of £30 million in the NHS, the first instalment of a £300 million investment over three years, will target reductions to pandemic backlogs and patients waiting the longest time.”