In May 2026 63.6% of 129 279 attending Type 1 A&E in Scotland were seen within 4 hours.

The equivalent percentage for England was 61.9% of 923 959 admissions.

If you were a Scottish MSM journo, you’d be quick to claim that’s little different.

1.7% better but:

First, 1.7% of those 129 279 attending is 2 198 more treated on time who would not have been had they live in England. Tell them they’re insignificant.

Second and this is a biggie, 63.6% of 129 297 attending in Scotland is 82 221 while 61.9% of 923 959 admissions in England is only 571 931.

So, if NHS Scotland had to deal with a similar admissions rate, with 10% of the population, that’d be around 92 395 attending and we’d still treat 82 221 of the 92 395 in 4 hours, so 88.98%!

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/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Monthly-AE-Time-Series-May-2026-wlgnE2.xls