A&E Targets Under Scrutiny

Scottish Government accident and emergency targets are being placed under the microscope.

The Public Audit Committe isn't sure if a standard of seeing 98% of patients within four hours is reasonable or achievable.

Convener Hugh Henry says there's a need to balance speed of care with quality of care.

"To have 5 of the 14 health boards failing to meet the interim 95% target on time is disappointing to say the least, especially when only 3 NHS boards are meeting the 98% standard set by the Scottish Government.

"However, there is always a clinical need to balance speed of care with quality of care and we agree with the AGS that waiting times for an A&E department can be an important indicator of pressure on the health system as a whole. Against this back drop, and with the majority of boards failing to meet the set standard, we question whether that standard remains reasonable or achievable."

NHS Fife is not currently meeting the 98% target, but is hitting the interim standard of 95%.

NHS Fife Director of Acute Services, Heather Knox said: "Significant progress has been made over recent years to reduce the time our patients spend in Accident and Emergency.

"This improvement has been made against a backdrop of rising attendances at A&E, coupled with a growing number of patients with increasingly complex medical needs.

"A great deal of work has been carried out to streamline our services and improve the flow of patients through the system. Implementation of the Local Unscheduled Care Action Plan (LUCAP), alongside innovations such as the discharge hub and the deployment of Patient Flow Co-ordinators in A&E, have allowed us to reduce waiting times and improve the experiences of those patients who unexpectedly require our services.

"The combination of these changes, along with the continued hard work and dedication of our staff, has resulted in a significant reduction in the numbers of patients who were waiting over 8 and 12 hours. 

"Despite this progress, we recognise that there is work still to do to achieve the 98% target that starts next year but we are committed to reducing the amount of time our patients wait in A&E.

"We are re-launching our Know Who To Turn To campaign which helps and advises the public on what services are available, what they do and when it is appropriate to use them.

"Booklets and leaflets will be available across Fife, you can pick these up in GP's, local pharmacies and libraries. Alternatively, you can visit our website, www.nhsfife.org/knowwhototurnto which has all the information too."