Fife’s health chiefs believe they are over the worst after months of poor performance.
NHS bosses said they are seeing improvements in a number of areas of care, including A&E waiting times, delayed discharges and the number of patients receiving treatment within 18 weeks of referral.
The number of people acquiring infections while being treated in hospital has also fallen significantly.
Despite this, performance is still falling short of the targets set by the Scottish Government in several key areas including waiting times for A&E, referral to treatment and cancer.
Of the 19 targets laid out NHS Fife is unlikely to meet 13, with nine of those falling outwith agreed tolerance levels.
In many areas including waiting times for psychological therapies and cancer performance has actually deteriorated since February.
Professor Scott McLean, director of acute services at NHS Fife, said the region’s hospitals had seen more than 10,000 admissions in January and February.
“On the four-hour access to treatment in A&E we saw a deteriorating performance between September and February,” he said.
“We have heard much about that around this table during that time.
“In March the number went up to 93% being seen within four hours and so far in April we are approaching the dizzy heights of 95%.”
The Scottish Government’s target is 98% of people attending A&E should be treated within four hours.
Mr McLean added: “We appear to be over the worst of that poor performance.”
He said an increase in demand had created challenges for some specialities, with performance falling in neurology, urology and dermatology.
Dr Brian Montgomery, interim chief executive of NHS Fife, offered an assurance over A&E waiting times.
“In many respects when we have seen a fall in performance in relation to a target it’s because we have decided not to push someone through the system.
“We could make the target the primary focus, deliver the target but end up providing compromised care.
“I’m comfortable saying we are putting targets behind quality.”
NHS Fife has come under fire from politicians over its performance during the last six months, with Labour calling for a review of the region’s health service.
In December just 90.9% of patients were treated within four hours of arriving in A&E, compared to 98.5% the previous year and 92.5% in November.