‘Alarm bells’ should be sounding throughout the SNP government, Jackie Baillie has said, as the crisis in A&E has been laid bare.

Statistics published today have shown that almost 500 people waited over 8 hours in A&E at the Royal Alexandra Hospital during May this year, 65 of whom were left waiting for more than 12 hours.

The situation remains dire with the latest figures showing that 33 patients waited over 8 hours in the week ending 25th June 2023 alone in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

Scottish Labour can reveal that, by analysing the weekly A&E data, as many as 28,960 people have languished over eight hours in A&E since Michael Matheson became Health Secretary earlier this year. At the RAH alone, 1211 people have had to wait for more than eight hours since Michael Matheson assumed the role with 173 waiting more than 12 hours in that time.

Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie said: “We are now in the middle of the summer with the current Health Secretary having been in place for months now – but the crisis in our NHS is deepening.

“It is simply shocking that over 11,000 patients have waited over 8 hours in A&E during May alone – with the situation continuing to deteriorate into June. Almost 500 of these people were waiting at the RAH which includes people from our constituency who have already faced a lengthy journey to get to A&E.

“The facts are now clear – Michael Matheson has been unable to pull A&E services out of the nose-dive that Humza Yousaf plunged them into.

“That more than 1200 people have waited over eight hours in the Emergency Department at the RAH since Michael Matheson became Health Secretary should be sounding alarm bells throughout the government.

“Doctors and nurses are at breaking point, but this SNP government is entirely failing to support them.

“The situation in Emergency Departments will never improve whilst this SNP Government continues to neglect primary care, with patients struggling to get GP appointments and 1 in 7 Scots still stuck on waiting lists.

“It’s time for Matheson to listen to NHS workers and act to reverse this deadly crisis.”