The BMA has issued a warning that more medical staff will be needed to tackle extreme pressures in emergency departments, following a critical report from watchdogs.
Audit Scotland has found that performance against the four-hour waiting target has deteriorated since its last report.
The number of patients waiting longer than four hours increased from about 36,000 in 2008/09 to about 104,000 in 2012/13, although performance did improve during 2013.
The most recent Accident and Emergency: Performance Update points out that emergency departments are part of a complex health and social care system, and that a lot of factors – including staffing pressures – could contribute to the challenge.
Dr Nikki Thompson, MA Scottish consultants committee chair, said the whole healthcare system was overstretched: “This report illustrates the extreme pressures emergency departments are working under while dealing with rising demand and an ageing population. Workforce shortages and high vacancy rates are a significant contributing factor. As a result, medical staff are working under considerable strain to try to maintain high-quality care in an overstretched system; clearly this is not sustainable.
“The findings of the report are not restricted to emergency departments; the whole system must have the capacity to provide high-quality, safe care at the right time, in the right environment. We firmly believe that everyone who needs it should receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner; this requires the employment of enough skilled staff and the provision of adequate resources on a day-to-day basis.”
