A&E waiting times rise as Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital struggles and politician says "The efforts of dedicated staff are not repaid"

dailyrecord.co.uk:

New figures reveal Paisley’s struggling A&E department continues to feel the pressure as figures for patients waiting hours to be seen soar.It comes after one politician warned last week that “health and lives” are “at risk” before wait times for emergency treatment increased again this week and performance against targets dropped further.Data published this week shows performance at the site is once again plummeting to dismal levels.Fresh figures show just 60.3 per cent of the 1,117 patients who attended the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s emergency department in the week until March 6 were treated within four hours.Scottish Government targets demand that 95 per cent of patients who attend A&E are treated, admitted, transferred or discharged within a four hour time frame.But under-pressure hospitals have largely failed to meet the targets since the covid pandemic began, with figures for the RAH consistently amongst the worst in Scotland.They plunged again two weeks ago to 65.6 per cent - with data showing some 518 patients waited more than four hours - before the latest round of data revealed they have fallen further.It comes as Scottish Government Health Secretary Humza Yousaf visited the RAH on Friday to meet with staff leaders and management.The move followed pressure from Paisley-based Labour MSP Neil Bibby, who had been calling on Mr Yousaf to visit the trouble-hit hospital since last November, after union reps at the site begged for help amidst claims there are “chronic” shortages of staff and that workers are “on their knees”.Labour’s Shadow Health Minister Paul O’Kane claimed last week that health supremo Mr Yousaf was presiding over “predictable chaos” at Scotland’s hospitals.The West Scotland MSP added: “The