Patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E at highest level since January
The proportion of patients waiting 12 hours or more in A&E is at the highest level since January, new figures show.
In the week up to 29 October, 6.6% - 1,644 people - of those attending Scotland's emergency departments waited half a day or more, up from 5.7% the previous week.
The last time this figure was as high, according to Public Health Scotland, was the week up to 15 January, when it was 7%.
The proportion of people waiting longer than eight hours is also at its highest level in more than seven months, the figures show, with 14.4% waiting that long, up from 12.7% the previous week and the worst since the week of March 26 when it was 14.5%.
The Scottish Government aims to ensure 95% of patients are seen within four hours.
In the most recent week, just 63.2% were seen within the target time, the lowest figures since early April.
Public Health Scotland also released statistics for the entirety of September, when 70% were seen in the target four hours - down from 71.3% the month before - and 3.4% waited more than 12 hours, up from 3% in August.
A total of 9.4% waited more than eight hours, up from 8.4% the previous month.
Health Secretary Michael Matheson said again he believed A&E performance was "not where it needs to be", adding: "We continue to work closely with boards to support delivery of sustained improvements.
"Monthly figures for September show a slight decrease in four-hour performance which is consistent with monthly trends seen in previous years, with England also seeing a decrease in performance for this period.
"We know that long waits remain too high - however, patients experiencing the longest waits will generally be those who require admission and are waiting on a bed in a ward.
"These patients will have been triaged and seen by a doctor prior to decision to admit.
"Scotland's core A&E departments remain the best performing in the UK.
"Our Winter Plan will support boards to maximise capacity to meet demand and our £12 million expansion of Hospital at Home will ensure people receive care at home or as close to home as possible, where clinically appropriate, to help reduce pressure on our emergency departments."
But Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane described the figures as "appalling and unacceptable" which makes the coming winter "even more terrifying for overstretched staff and patients alike".
"The Scottish Conservatives are calling for a modern, efficient and local approach for our NHS which means Michael Matheson must get a grip of this crisis, which stems from the dire workforce planning of successive SNP health secretaries, and Humza Yousaf's failed recovery plan," he added.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said said the figures showed "winter pressures are well and truly here for our NHS".
He added: "The SNP/Green government have squandered the summer and left the NHS in a perilous state before the busiest time of the year."
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