Lessons should be learned from worst ever A&E performance

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LESSONS SHOULD BE LEARNED by the surge in case of Flu and Accident and Emergency departments recording their worst ever performance against key waiting targets.

That is the view of regional MSP John Finnie after studying the figures released this week for the period up to December 31, 2017.

These have shown that 78% of patients were seen within the four hour target – well below the Scottish Government’s own 95% target. In the same period a year earlier 92.5% had been seen inside the target.

The Scottish Green MSP commented: “The surge in flu cases, along with falls and slips as a result of the icy weather, adds pressure on our hospitals. Staff are working incredibly hard and should be commended for their high-quality care.

“While the Scottish Government has provided additional funds for winter contingencies, lessons must be learned from the current experience.

“Too often we see Scottish Ministers trying to distract from the situation by pointing to the dismantling of the NHS by the Tories in England, when we should remain focused on meeting our own aspirations for Scotland’s health and social care services.

“It’s clear we need greater investment in local services to prevent slips and falls in icy weather, we need properly-paid staff to cope with emergency hospital admissions and we need care packages at home to free up space in our hospitals.

“Greens have already won the case to end the pay freeze for public service staff, and we will continue to press for a fairer system of taxation that raises extra funds for the public services we all rely on.”