Hundreds wait for more than 12 hours at IRH casualty unit

And data released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) shows that the number of people waiting more than four hours for medical attention has also soared in the last five years.

Local Labour MP Martin McCluskey called for urgent action from both the Scottish Government and Greater Glasgow and Clyde to reduce the increasingly lengthy casualty delays.

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours to be seen by A&E staff at the IRH has spiralled from just four in 2019 to 326 last year. (Image: Archive) However the health board defended its record, insisting that the accident and emergency department at the IRH is one of the best performing in Scotland.

Out of 33,562 people who attended A&E at the IRH in 2019, 3,603 waited more than four hours, 223 for more than eight, and just four for more than 12.

Last year the total number of casualty patients at the local hospital dropped to 29,181 – but of those 6,270 faced a delay of more than four hours before being seen.

A further 1,051 waited more than eight hours, while 326 had to wait for more than 12.

The figure for waits of more than 12 hours represents an increase of 8,050 per cent over five years.

For waits of more than four hours, the five-year increase is 74 per cent, while waits of more than eight hours have risen by 371 per cent.

Figures for the IRH in the first eight months of 2024 show that 5,521 out of 20,471 patients - more than one in four - had to wait more than four hours in A&E to see a doctor or nurse.

Meanwhile, 912 have waited more than eight hours so far this year, and 206 more than 12.

Mr McCluskey told the Tele: “Constituents have consistently raised concerns with me about pressures on A&E, both in my time as an MP and as a councillor. 

"These numbers lay bare the pressure that IRH’s accident and emergency department is under. 

"This is no fault of the staff, who are working under significant pressure with limited resources. 

Martin McCluskey MP says the figures on A&E wait times at the IRH are "unacceptable for patients and staff". (Image: George Munro) “These are numbers that would once be expected in the depths of the winter crisis, but now we see crisis level numbers all year round. 

"It’s unacceptable for patients and staff."

According to Public Health Scotland the majority of IRH patients are seen within four hours - though the proportion has dropped from 89 per cent in 2019 to 78 per cent last year.

Between January 1 and August 31 this year, 73 per cent of people attending the IRH emergency department were seen within four hours.

Mr McCluskey added: "The health board cannot say when they will be able to consistently meet A&E targets again. 

"They need to urgently set out a plan to do so, and the Government needs to get a grip before we end up with more winter pressures."

Some of the longest recent waiting times for IRH patients were in 2022.

Then 6,253 patients waited more than four hours, 1,221 more than eight, and 351 more than 12.

Conservative West Scotland MSP Jamie Greene, who hails from Greenock, said: “These figures are shocking.

Conservative MSP Jamie Greene blasted the shocking figures. (Image: PA)  “The SNP have failed to improve out-of-hours service coverage across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and their total lack of a credible plan to cut waiting lists will undoubtedly result in excess deaths.

 “The Cabinet Secretary must take urgent action to reverse this unacceptable decline in standards.

“He could start by adopting our plans for a modern and more local NHS which would cut waiting and improve access for all.”

At least 95 per cent of all A&E patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arriving at a hospital, according to an NHS standard set in 2010.

Last November, the Tele reported how almost 200 patients had waited more than four hours to be seen at A&E at the IRH during the last week of October.

Local mum Gillian Lynch told the Telegraph she waited for two days to get onto a ward after being admitted with pneumonia. 

So far this year more than one in four people attending the casualty department at the IRH has had to wait more than four hours before being seen. (Image: Newsquest) The 41-year-old said she'd been left in A&E overnight during the week ending October 29, 2023, before later being placed in a makeshift ward in day surgery as staff struggled to cope.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde defended Inverclyde's A&E record.

A spokesperson added: "Statistics published weekly by Public Health Scotland (PHS) show that the A&E department at Inverclyde Royal Hospital is regularly one of the best-performing in the country.

"The latest PHS statistics, published this week, show that, at the IRH A&E department, more than 80 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, compared with a Scotland-wide average of 62.7 percent 

"In addition, only 1.4 percent – or fewer than one in 70 patients – waited more than eight hours (national figure 13.3 percent), and a tiny 0.4 percent – or fewer than one in 200 patients – waited more than 12 hours (national figure 6.2 percent).

"However, as is the case throughout Scotland, all services at the IRH, including A&E, are under considerable pressure, and have been since the beginning of the pandemic.

“While our staff are doing all they can to provide the best possible care for all our patients, we appreciate some patients are not receiving the service that they might expect. We would like to apologise for that."

Stuart McMillan, the SNP MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, also defended the A&E service provided at the local hospital.

Stuart McMillan defended the running of the service at Inverclyde Royal Hospital. (Image: Scottish Parliament) He added: "Since the pandemic, the pressures facing our NHS are well documented. 

"However, I think when it comes to Inverclyde’s A&E waiting times, we need to take into account that changes to the GP Out of Hours service did lead to some confusion amongst local residents about where to access urgent care.  

 “Service redesign has now taken place to deliver a stable GP Out of Hours service locally, with appointments in Inverclyde available during weekends and public holidays.

“In addition, the health board is utilising digital technology to support more patients from the comfort of their homes.

 “When constituents contact me on health matters, I raise the matter with the health board, and make them aware of how the NHS is adapting to deliver healthcare that is fit for the 21st century."

Scotland’s health secretary admitted that performance at the country’s A&E departments is “below the level we all wish to see” – while insisting that Scotland’s casualty departments are the best performing in the UK.

Neil Gray said the Scottish Government was continuing to support NHS boards “as they undertake significant work to make targeted, sustainable improvements to services”.

Mr Gray said: “The pressure being felt by our A&E departments is not unique to Scotland, with similar challenges being felt right across the UK.

The Scottish Government says pressures at Scotland's A&E departments are mirrored across the UK. (Image: Newsquest) “The Scottish Budget for this year provides more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and an extra £500 million for frontline boards.

“Through our winter plan, a record number of NHS 24 call handlers will be available to direct people to the most appropriate care, helping reduce unnecessary A&E attendances.

“We are also working to reduce delayed discharge in hospitals with an increased focus on effective discharge planning.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We’ve always recognised the relationship between long waits in A&E and increased risk of harm which is why we are continuously working on improving A&E performance.

“Pressure on our A&E departments is being driven by high levels of occupancy and delayed discharge associated with high numbers of patients who require support to go home. This impacts on patient flow out of emergency departments to inpatient wards.

“Reducing long A&E waits is a key priority for our government and we’re working with health boards and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to implement actions that will improve patient flow which will in turn reduce waiting times.”