By stewartb

Reporting an example of poor performance by a big, complex institution is linked to dodgy trend analysis by an agenda-driven newspaper – another mainstream news outlet in Scotland typically averse to the provision of context, perspective and comparative analysis. It achieves the objective for the British Labour Party and Unionist cause. in Scotland. It amplifies the false messaging that ‘NHS Scotland is crap’ and ‘it’s all that SNP’s fault’ towards voters in advance of the 2026 Holyrood election.

After a gap of a couple of months, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued (August 14) a press statement on the waiting times performance of A&E services in NHS England: ‘If this is summer, what will winter be like?’: England’s EDs experience second worse July on record for 12 hour waits.’

Here are the key points included in the RCEM’s statement:

63.1% of patients in Type 1 emergency departments were seen within the target of four hours.

‘On 12 hour waits: ‘.. 22,852 patients faced a wait of 12 hours or more last month. This is the second highest number who endured this wait on record since they began in 2010 for the month of July. It means one in 12 patients experienced this stay to be admitted, transferred or discharged last month.’ That’s 8.3%.

‘There were 1,469,050 attendances to major EDs – the busiest July on record, the busiest month so far this year, and the second highest number of attendances on record.’

Second highest ever? This statistic and the rankings the RCEM provides indicates serious negative issues associated with population health and/or the functioning of England’s primary care and probably linked also to NHS England’s elective treatment services.

Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the RCEM is quoted: “We have thousands of patients enduring extremely long stays, often on a trolley in a corridor, through no fault of their own, because there are no available beds on wards for them to move to..’ And: “They are being put at risk of serious harm because the system is in crisis.”

How long is it going to take NHS England and the Westminster government to adopt the British Labour Party in Scotland’s – aka Jackie Baillie’s – ready and waiting magic solution to the ills of A&E?

On August 5, the RCEM issued a statement on the equivalent performance statistics for NHS Scotland, for the month of June. It noted that 69.7% of attendances met the 4 hour standard – far from good enough but considerably better the performance of NHS England.

The RCEM also reported that in June 4.35% of patients spent 12 hours in an emergency department – far from good enough but considerably better than the performance of NHS England. The RCEM’s headline on Scotland included ‘unacceptable and dangerous’.

For the week ending August 10, Public Health Scotland reported 4.1% patients spent more than 12 hours in a Type 1 Department (compared to 3.7% the previous week, and 5.6% weekly average for 2024). One week’s drop in performance from 3.7% to 4.1% is headline news in Scotland all the while the latest equivalent figure for NHS England is 8.3% – ‘the second highest number who endured this wait on record since they began in 2010 for the month of July’. Was this NHS England performance reported by ANY mainstream news outlet never mind make it to the front page?

Meanwhile in NHS Wales during June 15% of attendances at major emergency departments (equivalent to Type 1s) spent 12 hours or more. Another example of where the British Labour Party’s ‘new direction’ for Scotland might lead if it becomes the government after the 2026 Holyrood election?