Over 50 people were forced to wait more than 12 hours at St John’s A&E in one week as staff struggled to cope with demand.
Some 296 people waited more than four hours in the week ending July 3, new figures reveal.
The statistics also show over a quarter of patients who turned up to St John’s Hospital in Livingston had to wait more than four hours to be treated.
In the week leading up to July 3, 72.4 per cent of the 1074 who attended A&E were seen within the four-hour target, 119 waited over eight hours and 57 had to wait over 12 hours.
These figures are a slight improvement on the week before (ending June 26), when 70.3 per cent were seen within four hours.
But this still falls far short of the Scottish Government’s target of dealing with 95 per cent of A&E patients within four hours, which has not been met in Scotland since July 2020.
At the end of May, just 68.5 per cent of people were seen within the target period at St John’s.
Last month NHS Lothian warned that increasing cases of Covid-19 were placing mounting pressure on hospitals and other health services and urged people not to attend A&E unless it was life threatening.
Jacquie Campbell, chief officer of acute services, NHS Lothian, explained: “The continuing effects of the pandemic are placing our services and staff under significant and sustained pressure.
“In line with community transmission levels, there are increased numbers of staff testing positive with Covid-19, who must then self-isolate to protect patients.
“That, combined with high volumes of patients presenting with complex and serious cases, means that A&E in particular remains under extreme pressure.
“We urge everyone in Lothian to play their part. If you think you need to visit A&E, but it’s not a critical emergency, call NHS 24 on 111 first. NHS 24 will direct you to the right care in the right place.
“We would also advise the public to take sensible precautions and stay safe in very hot weather in order to reduce the risk of sunburn and heat exhaustion.
“Stay out of the sun in the hottest part of the day, drink plenty of water and take cool showers or baths. This applies to everyone but most especially to those vulnerable to extreme heat such as children and the elderly. If you must venture out, stay in shady areas, wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and loose-fitting clothes.
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