NHS Forth Valley: Long waits continue at Forth Valley Royal Hospital's A&E unit

Despite a slight improvement in last week’s waiting time figures at Forth Valley Royal, there are still large numbers of people turning up at the Larbert hospital who are not treated or admitted within the four-hour target.

Latest figures show that only 46.3 per cent of patients at FVRH were seen within the target time, compared to a Scottish average of 66.2 per cent.

The previous week had been the worst ever performance at the A&E unit with only 38.3 per cent of patients seen.

The most recent figure is still below last year’s performance for the same period when 57.1 per cent were dealt with.

Last week 1207 patients attended the Larbert A&E and of those, 77 waited over 12 hours to be treated or admitted to the hospital.

However, health bosses have stressed the situation is not unique to Forth Valley with emergency departments across Scotland facing an almost unprecedented demand on their services.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf had previously branded last week’s figures – which were the worst on record – as “not acceptable”, insisting he was “determined to improve performance”.

A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said: “Local social care services across Forth Valley are facing significant staffing pressures along with increasing demand for home care.

“We are also seeing high numbers of seriously ill patients who require to be admitted to hospital as well as many patients experiencing delays in being discharged because they require a package of care to be put in place 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 a suitable inpatient bed becomes available. However, all patients are assessed by an experienced senior nurse to establish their clinical priority and regular observations are carried out by nursing staff while patients wait to be reviewed by a clinician.”

They said that staff were doing “everything possible to reduce delays”,. adding they are currently piloting new ED triage and assessment arrangements to help reduce waiting times and improve access to healthcare advice, reassurance and treatment at an early stage.

The spokesperson added: “Many patients also undergo tests and start their treatment in ED while they are waiting to be admitted to a ward.”

Urging people to avoid long waits in the A&E department, they said urgent heath care advice and treatment for an illness or injury which is not life-threatening can be obtained by calling NHS 24 on 111.

This can then see a consultation arranged if needed with a local healthcare professional who can provide advice or make an appointment at Forth Valley’s Urgent Care Centre or Minor Injuries Unit so people don’t need to wait when they attend.

The health official said that pharmacists can also provide healthcare advice and treatment for many common health conditions and GP practices can provide advice and arrange appointments with a range of healthcare professionals, including mental health nurses and physiotherapists.