Despite hard work to tackle waiting times, the A&E crisis in Fife rumbles on – with figures showing things are still moving in the wrong direction.
Statistics for the week ending October 17 reveal:
- The percentage of patients seen within four hours was 72.9% – falling short of the Government’s target of 95%.
- 70 waited over eight hours.
- 9 waited over 12 hours.
Last month, the figures put Fife in a slightly better position.
NHS Fife have been carrying out a wealth of work to try to turn the tide.
But just this week, questions were again being asked about the extent of the crisis – amid allegations 14 ambulances queued outside Victoria Hospital at once.
Alex Rowley MSP says a community approach needs to be looked at now.
‘Staff stretched to the limit’
Both he and Murdo Fraser MSP have also highlighted the pressure on hardworking NHS staff.
Mr Rowley said: “These latest figures show the massive pressures the hospital is under and staff are stretched to the limits.
‘If people can’t see GPs, hospitals feel the pressure’
“If people cannot get face to face appointments at local health centres, and can’t see a medical person when they need to, they will end up at A&E putting even more pressure on the hospitals.
“We need to get community services opened up and we need more support in the community to ease the pressures on the hospitals.”
Murdo Fraser MSP lays blame at Health Secretary Humza Yousef MSP’s door.
“Frontline services in Fife are toiling on Humza Yousaf’s watch. His flimsy NHS Recovery plan has failed to remobilise services in the Kingdom.
Staff are beyond breaking point and more and more patients are paying the price.
“The latest A&E figures are very worrying.
“The A&E department in Fife has been in crisis for weeks, yet Humza Yousaf has failed to get on top of his brief.
“He must do so immediately, otherwise health services in Fife face coming under intolerable strain when the winter peak hits.”
Director of Acute Services, Claire Dobson said there are pressures across the entire healthcare systems across the country, not just in Fife.
She added, Fife when compared to other areas, is performing better against some national targets:
- 6,300 patients were treated in September in the Emergency Department, an increase of around 30% on the previous year.
- Numbers are higher because more people are attending and more are acutely unwell.
‘A&E do not operate in isolation’
- Fife’s A&E sees more people within four hours than the 70.9% national average.
- A smaller number of procedures are being postponed in Fife than in any other mainland health board area.
- 99.7% of patients in Fife requiring a diagnostic test received this within six weeks, compared to 62.6% nationally.
She said A&E doesn’t operate in isolation and is impacted by pressures elsewhere including from inpatients, primary care and the social care system.
“The demand at present for healthcare services in Fife is unlike anything we have ever seen and we are working as diligently as possible to balance this demand for the benefit of the whole of the population we serve. “
