Professor John Robertson OBA

According to Public Health Scotland, today, 66.7% of patients in Type 1 A&E departments were treated within 4 hours in March 2025.¹

The comparable figure for NHS England was 60.9%.²

NHS Scotland‘s type 1 A&E departments were thus 9.53% more efficient (5.8 as a % of 60.9), on average than those in NHS England.

That nearly 10% matters.

NHS England‘s type 1 A&E departments treated 883 691 patients in March so had they been in hospitals as effective (well-staffed) as those in Scotland, 10% of that total, around 88 000, would have been seen on time but were not.

NHS Scotland‘s Type 1 A&E departments treated 120 143 patients in March 2025 so had they been in hospitals as efficient (not well-staffed) as those in England, more than 10 000 would NOT have been seen on time.

Sources:

1. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/healthcare-system/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency/interactive-charts/how-long-people-spend-in-ae/
2. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/