Thousands of elderly patients waiting more than 12 hours at A&E

During this week’s First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the case of an 87-year-old woman who experienced extremely long waits at A&E after breaking her hip, as he called on the government to explain why thousands of elderly patients are waiting longer than 12 hours in emergency care.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to Public Health Scotland that the party is publishing today revealed that in 2024:

• 12,438 people aged over 85 waited more than 12 hours at A&E.
• These long waits affected 18% of all over 85s who attended A&E.
• In NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lothian, more than a third of people aged over 85 attending A&E waited longer than 12 hours, while in NHS Lothian it was 32%.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Winifred was an active 87-year old. Until she fell and broke her hip.

“Her family say that they are “aghast” at what happened next.

“In the weeks that followed, she experienced a 12 hour wait in accident and emergency, an unsafe discharge, a 9 hour wait for an ambulance to take her back to hospital and yet another 12 hour wait in A&E.

“Winifred is not alone.

“These waits for emergency care have skyrocketed since the SNP came to power.

“New research we are publishing today shows that more than 12,000 people aged over 85 waited longer than 12 hours in Scotland’s A&E departments last year.

“So, can I ask the First Minister, what does he have to say to Winifred, to her family and the thousands of others like them, so abjectly failed by his government?”