WAITING times at Inverclyde Royal’s accident and emergency department have not met a key Scottish Government target level in more than TWO YEARS according to new figures.

Despite the best efforts of hard-working and under pressure staff, the last time the hospital hit the government’s target of 95 per cent of A&E patients waiting less than four hours before being either admitted, discharged or transferred was in the middle of May 2021.

During the two-year period, the hospital has recorded some of its poorest waiting time performance figures since the NHS began publishing the information in February 2015.

READ MORE: Lewis Capaldi asked to attend fundraiser at Port Glasgow bar

The latest figures, which cover the week from May 15-21, showed that the rate of patients waiting more than four hours was 89.7 per cent, which was higher than both the Scottish and the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde average.

Labour councillor Martin McCluskey, who is Inverclyde Council’s representative on the health board, laid the blame for the situation at the feet of the Scottish Government.

He said: “Our doctors and nurses at IRH are doing the best they can to deliver quality care for people in our area.

“But they are being let down by a government that has failed to get a grip.

“The failure to hit the A&E waiting time target for two years is the result of the SNP government failing to invest in our NHS and in our social care system.

“Doctors, nurses and care professionals have been warning for years that the system was under significant strain.

“This was the case long before Covid, and things have only got worse.

“The government has a choice – they can continue to stick their fingers in their ears and ignore what professionals are telling them and see things get even worse, or they can listen to the professionals, properly fund the NHS and social care services and protect our NHS for the future.”

Sign up to a Greenock Telegraph Newsletter HERE.

Inverclyde’s MSP Stuart McMillan told the Telegraph that both the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit had played a part in impeding the hospital’s progress towards the target time.

He added: “This news is of course disappointing but it’s worth remembering that the past two years include periods when we were still in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic – and as has been repeatedly said by health professionals, just because the virus no longer poses a significant threat as it previously did, the impact of the pandemic is still being felt across our health service.”

“That being said, our NHS staff are working extremely hard, and I welcomed the recent news that NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde’s New Qualified practitioners’ recruitment received more than 1,100 applications and their international recruitment is also progressing, with more than 200 candidates having accepted offers of employment.”

The SNP politician stressed the importance of boosting workforces in addressing the issues with the NHS.

He welcomed the Scottish Government’s recent pay deal for NHS Agenda for Change staff and its offer to junior doctors of a 14.5 per cent pay uplift over 2022-24.

He added: “I am also conscious however that challenges facing our social care system are also impacting on our health service.

“This is partly due to workforce issues, with various reports suggesting that Brexit has made recruiting and retaining staff in the sector all the more difficult – and chief architect of the disaster that is Brexit, Nigel Farage, has himself admitted it has failed to deliver any economic benefits.”

An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokespersonsaid: “Official statistics by Public Health Scotland (PHS) clearly demonstrate that performance against the four-hour waiting times target by the A&E Department at Inverclyde Royal Hospital is consistently above the national average and the department is frequently among the best-performing in Scotland.

“The latest PHS statistics, which are published on May 30, show that 89.7 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, compared with a national average of 69.2 per cent.

“This encouraging performance is testament to the hard work and professionalism of our staff, and we would like to thank all of them for their continuing commitment in these challenging times.

“However, we would remind people that all our services continue to face significant challenges and we encourage you to support our hard-working staff by thinking carefully about how you access care.

“If you think you need medical help, you are encouraged to contact your GP in the first instance, or make use of your local pharmacy or NHS Inform.

“If you think you need urgent assistance, please call NHS24 on 111 to access the Virtual A&E.

“They will ensure you receive the care most appropriate for your needs. Only call 999 or visit A&E if your condition is life-threatening.”