Health Minister Humza Yousaf has once again come under fire after A&E waiting times figures remained largely stagnant.
An ongoing emergency treatment crisis showing little sign of improvement has led to one politician branding the Scottish Government's health supremo Mr Yousaf "reaction man not Action Man".
It comes as data from the NHS reveals that 63.5 per cent of the 1,132 patients who attended the Royal Alexandra Hospital's A&E department in the week ending June 5 were seen in line with four hour targets.
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Figures show 413 patients waited more than four hours, while 83 waited eight hours or more.
Some 14 patients waited more than 12 hours for treatment.
The Scottish Government's own targets call for 95 per cent of A&E patients to be treated, admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
But the target has been largely missed in Scotland's battling emergency departments since the Covid pandemic hit.
In the previous week, just 63.3 per cent of A&E patients at the RAH - which has returned some of the worst A&E performance figures in the country since the pandemic hit - were seen in line with the four hour target.
The latest Scotland-wide figure shows 71.3 per cent of emergency patients made the four hour target.
Now Labour's health spokesman Paul O'Kane has taken a fresh swipe at Holyrood Health Secretary Mr Yousaf, saying: "Every week we are reminded that A&E services are struggling badly, that staff are overstretched and patients lives are at risk and that Humza Yousaf will come out with excuses rather than bold plans to address these problems.
"Just yesterday we heard Humza Yousaf on the radio, commentating on the crisis but not really offering anything in terms of action.
“Humza Yousaf isn’t Action Man, he’s Reaction Man, always saying he’ll do better after the facts of how badly A&E services are suffering get released."
The Barrhead-based West Scotland MSP added: "It would seem that he’s settled for a role of coming out to minimise the backlash on his own Government for these shocking A&E stats rather than bringing ideas to the table.
“He’s spoken to dedicated staff who are working themselves into the ground, who are ‘knackered’ and he’s undoubtedly spoken to patients who have suffered under the failing services, and yet it seems like he still doesn’t comprehend the scale of this crisis.
“A&E failure is a symptom of our larger failing health system – we need beds, we need more staff and it’s on Humza Yousaf to deliver that."
It comes after Mr Yousaf described NHS staff as "completely knackered" but failed entirely to say what he would do to tackle the crisis, say critics.
Struggling staff at the Paisley hospital have been warning of staffing problems having an effect on services since last October.
Union leaders warned there were "chronic" staff shortages and later warned workers are "on their knees" battling through the pandemic and resulting staff sickness.
They went on to warn of a "dire" situation facing the Corsebar Road site in December.
Mr Yousaf was forced to visit the hospital in March to meet with staff leaders and managers in a bid to iron out problems following a string of poor figures at the site and amid warnings from personnel.
He was pressed on the issue in Parliament by Paisley-based Labour MSP Neil Bibby and eventually visited the RAH.
But opposition politicians have hit out at his inaction since.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government defended their position, saying: "Despite the continued pressure from the pandemic on hospitals and services, more than two-thirds of patients are being seen in our A&E departments within the four-hour target.
“We want people to get the right care in the right setting and for many A&E will not be the most suitable place for their healthcare need. People should consider whether their condition is an emergency, such as a stroke, heart attack or major trauma, before going to A&E."
She added: "Our new Urgent and Unscheduled Care Collaborative programme, which is supported by £50 million of funding, looks to support the implementation of a range of measures to reduce A&E waiting times and improve patient experience, this includes alternatives to hospital-based treatment.
"Scotland continues to have the best performing A&Es in the UK, outperforming those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for over six years."
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