The region’s under-fire hospital has reported the worst accident and emergency waiting time figures in Scotland – with only 38 per cent of patients seen within four hours.
The Scottish Government target is for patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred or discharged in that timescale.
But according to the latest Public Health Scotland data for the period up to December 18, NHS Forth Valley had the poorest performance across all of the country’s health boards.
A total of 1,104 patients reported to the emergency unit at Forth Valley Royal for the period covered by the statistics - and Forth Valley’s performance slipped behind even the national standard of 55 per cent.
An NHS Forth Valley spokeswoman said the four-hour period included time for patients to be assessed and confirmed they may start tests or undergo treatment during that wait.
The spokeswoman added: “Winter is always a very busy time for the NHS, but this year we are experiencing unprecedented pressures due to exceptionally high demand across local hospital, community and primary care services.
“We are also seeing high numbers of seriously-ill patients who require to be admitted to hospital as well as many patients who are experiencing delays in being discharged because they require a package of care, further rehabilitation support or are waiting for a place in a local care home.
“As a result, some patients have had to wait for longer periods of time in the Emergency Department until an inpatient bed becomes available.
“Staff continue to do everything possible to support patient care, use alternatives to hospital admission and minimise delays in transferring patients to inpatient wards and assessment areas.”
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alexander Stewart criticised the state of accident and emergency services both locally and in Scotland, reiterating calls for Health Secretary Humza Yousaf to consider his position.
Mr Stewart said: “These catastrophic figures are so appalling, there can be no way that the current SNP’s Health Secretary’s position is tenable; we must restore a semblance of confidence in Scotland’s crisis-ridden NHS.
“These new record lows – by every measure – are terrifying and cannot be allowed to continue, for the simple reasoning that excess A&E waits translate, inevitably and tragically, into needless loss of lives.
“We are now at the stage where almost half of patients are not being seen within four hours in our emergency wards and more than 1,800 people in the space of just a week had to wait more than half a day to be seen.
“The health secretary is abjectly failing both patients and dedicated frontline staff with his flimsy Covid recovery plan and years of dire workforce planning by the SNP.
“This cannot go on; even the First Minister must realise that we are so far beyond the tipping point that, for the good of everyone, her health secretary’s position must be reconsidered.”
In response, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The situation we find ourselves in is the result of pandemic backlogs, Brexit-related staff shortages and increases in winter viruses such as flu which has seen recent a significant rise in the last few weeks – making this winter the most challenging the NHS has ever faced.
“This is of course not unique to Scotland, Scotland’s A&E continue to outperform A&E services across the UK.
“Scotland already has record numbers of NHS staff and we are recruiting more staff as part of our £600million winter plan and £50million investment is targeting A&E waits through services that allow patients to be treated at home or in the community.
“We know the difficulties staff are facing and want to repeat our thanks to all those working across all health and social care services this winter to make sure people receive the care they need.”
