When I saw the above from MSM Monitor yesterday, you can imagine what I was thinking but there are no directly comparable figures for Scotland.
However, there are two reports from the usually very reliable Royal College of Emergency Medicine published in 2025.
First, for NHS Scotland on 14 August 2025:
‘Shocking and shameful’: 51,400 older people endured dangerous 12 hour waits in Scotland’s A&Es last year – New analysis from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine reveals record numbers of extreme long waits older patients in 2024.
Extreme long waits in Emergency Departments across Scotland are a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored as more than 51,400 older patients endured stays of 12 hours or more last year – the worst on record. New analysis from the Royal College of Emergency (RCEM) reveals in major EDs, one in every eight patients (51,423) aged 60 or over waited more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged in 2024. 1
Now, for NHS England, published 6 May 2025:
‘An alarming threat to patient safety’ – over a million older patients endured 12-hour waits in England’s A&Es last year – Figures obtained by RCEM via Freedom of Information Act requests, reveal in England’s major EDs last year, a staggering 1,148,666 people aged 60 and over waited more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged.2
Regulars here will have done the sums already.
With 10 times the population you might expect NHS England to have 10 times the numbers waiting more than 12 hours in A&E, 514 000, but they had 1 148 666, TWICE as many.
Now that’s a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored.
Sources:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 