The most recent A&E data suggest there is only a 1% gap between NHS Scotland and NHS England in terms of the percentage seen in A&E within 4 hours.

From stewartb 5 March 2026 on NHS England manipulating stats again, researched by stewartb and just framed by me.

RCEM press release (march 4): ‘NHS England corridor care definition interesting but meaningful change must follow’

‘Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “..  we can already measure long waits and overcrowding. It remains to be seen whether trying to measure corridor care on top of this will prove more effective.  

“We have two main concerns about the complex definition. Firstly, the definition will not include, for instance, patients waiting for admission in areas not designated as being part of the ED, waiting in spaces designed for rapid assessment, or potentially on chairs in waiting rooms.  

“These patients may still experience harmful long waits in inappropriate spaces. Secondly, the 45-minute threshold is hard to justify. We are concerned that the definition, as it stands, will encourage manipulation of figures to make things look better than they are. Sadly, we have seen this happen so often we are expecting to see it again.’

See https://rcem.ac.uk/press-release/nhs-england-corridor-care-definition-interesting-but-meaningful-change-must-follow/

First, on that ‘we can already measure long waits’, our earlier post on reliable statistics which counters media claims of corridor care in Scotland:

Corridor care in NHS England more than TWICE as common as in NHS Scotland as Herald fluffs research methods again and NHS England’s fake figures are exposed again

Second, on ‘NHS England manipulating stats again‘ the evidence:

Another attempt to hide the true NHS England performance as waiting lists in Scotland keep falling

As Scotsman’s unnamed ‘medical professionals’ dream up another NHS crisis how proper monthly statistics reveal NHS Scotland’s A&E is improving and how nearly THREE times as many emergency patients per capita wait 12 hours or more in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

Scotland’s emergency departments at least 10% better than in NHS England in September 2024 and probably more than that if the latter’s trickery is exposed