A&E performance in Scotland hits lowest level since Beast from the East

Performance at accident and emergency departments in Scotland has hit its lowest monthly level since the Beast from the East, according to new figures.

The latest statistics from NHS Scotland’s Information Services Division indicate out of 137,879 people attending A&E services in December 2018, 89.6% were seen admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target time.

Of these, 199 (0.2%) waited more than 12 hours and 1,361 (1%) waited more than eight hours.

The December figures are the lowest against the waiting time target since March 2017, when health services were hit by extreme snow and ice dubbed the Beast from the East.

That month, 87.9% of people attending A&E were seen within four hours.

The December figures are down slightly from the 91.3% recorded the previous month and are also lower than the 92.6% performance in December 2017.

During December 2018, slightly more than a quarter of attendances (26.7%) led to an admission to hospital.