Statistics published today have shown that weekly A&E waiting times for the week ending 12^th September were the worst on record.

Only 71.5 per cent of attendances at A&E services were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours.

The flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital saw only 44.8 per cent of patients within 4 hours.

The statistics come as the Vice-President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned that Scotland needs another 1000 acute hospital beds to deal with the pressure.

Commenting, Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: 

“The crisis in our NHS is spiralling further and further out of control.

“Lives are now being jeopardised on a daily basis due to the failure of this SNP government to support the NHS.

“The SNP government must heed the warnings of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and act now to secure more acute beds for the NHS.

“If it would help for the Army to set up field hospitals then that must be considered immediately.

“Lives are on the line – there is no time to lose.”