According to Public Health Scotland the percentage of patients seen at NHS Lanarkshire A&E departments within the standard set by the Scottish Government for the week ending October 30 hit a record low.
The number seen within four hours was down to 49.1 percent from 53.1 per cent the previous week - however, there were almost 1800 more attendees to A&E departments than in the previous week.
Wishaw General saw the number of people seen within four hours drop from 54 to 51.7 per cent from the previous week, against a background rise from 1269 to 1343 people attending.
Last month ambulances were left queuing for up to 10 hours as staff attempted to make room for them to be received into the hospital.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf visited the hospital on Wednesday where he met with A&E staff to hear first hand the ongoing issues they’re facing.
Dr John Harden, deputy national clinical director and clinician at Wishaw General, told us : “Without apportioning blame it’s a whole system problem, we have a significant number of delayed discharges today – a larger number than we’d want to have.
"The hospital has already increased its capacity. But until we are able to get people out we can’t get them in.
“The hospital is running at a very high level of occupancy, not because we want to but because we have to.
"There’s no flick of a switch or press of a button that’s going to make a sudden difference, we need to fundamentally need to look at how we provide social care needs for patients as that will help them get out of hospital but also keep them out and not having to come back in.
"We’re getting a bit of a revolving door syndrome where they are going out into the community, getting unwell and coming back in.”
The other two A&E departments at Hairmyres in East Kilbride and Monklands in Airdrie also posted dismal waiting time statistics for the week ending October 30.
At Hairmyres only 42.2 per cent were seen within four hours. The corresponding figure at Monklands was 52.7 per cent.
Across Scotland, 63.1 per cent were seen within the accepted four-hour timescale.
Mark Griffin, Labour MSP for Central Scotland, called on Humza Yousaf to “get a grip or make way.”
He told Lanarkshire Live : “Just a few weeks back, waiting times at Scottish A&Es were the worst on record. The latest statistics show that, instead of getting better, they’ve got worse.
“Our NHS staff go above and beyond to diagnose and treat people as quickly, and as effectively, as they can – but they need help.
“The Health Secretary has had months to turn the tide and he has failed to do so. He needs to get a grip or make way for someone that will.”
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