Forth Valley Royal Hospital ‘worst performing’ as  A&E targets missed

Forth Valley accident and emergency department is the worst performing in Scotland, according to the latest data.
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New figures from Public Health Scotland show only 58.3% of the 1211 patients at Forth Valley Royal Hospital were seen within four hours in the week ending July 18.

Across Scotland, A&E departments recorded their third-worst week on record for missing their waiting-time targets.

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But a spokesman for NHS Forth Valley pointed to the high numbers of people being admitted for COVID and other serious issues - and a pledge to continuing to carry out as much planned activity as possible to avoid the need to cancel large numbers of operations or appointments.

Picture Michael GillenPicture Michael Gillen
Picture Michael Gillen

That, in turn, meant a longer wait for people attending A&E to be admitted to a hospital ward.

Across Scotland, only 78.7% of the 26,193 patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within the Scottish Government’s target time of four hours – the lowest level since January 2018.

At NHS Forth Valley only 58.3% of the 1211 patients were seen within that timescale – down from 65.1% the previous week.

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Picture Michael Gillen.Picture Michael Gillen.
Picture Michael Gillen.
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A spokesman for the regional health authority said: “Forth Valley Royal Hospital, like many across Scotland, has been very busy over the last few weeks.“We are seeing high numbers of people having to be admitted to hospital due to Covid-19 and other serious health issues.

“We are also continuing to carry out as much planned activity as possible to avoid the need to cancel large numbers of operations or appointments.

“This, however, does impact on our four hour access standard as some patients who need to be admitted to hospital after attending the emergency department may have to wait for longer until a suitable bed becomes available.”

The hospital has opened up a number of additional beds to help increase capacity and is working to reduce discharge delays.

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The spokesman urged people to play their part and use services appropriately by contacting .NHS 24 on 111 if they think they require urgent care but it’s not life-threatening.

Staff can organise an appointment at the minor injuries clinic in Stirling or the new urgent care centre in Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

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