Patient waits over two and a half days for treatment in Ayrshire A&E

Responding to a Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives, the health board admitted that in the week ending December 18, 2022 the longest time a patient had to wait to be seen in A&E was two and a half days.

The long wait was attributed to a lack of beds available in the Clinical Assessment Unit.

MSP for South Scotland, Sharon Dowey, is calling for the Scottish Government to look into the matter.

She said: “This shocking incident must be investigated urgently by the SNP Government.

“It is totally unacceptable that people in Ayrshire seeking emergency treatment are being forced to wait over 60 hours for emergency treatment.

“Our NHS staff do fantastic work, but I have serious concerns about the lack of support they get from the SNP Government.

“Humza Yousaf has let the NHS crisis spiral out of control. He should be sacked as health secretary, not promoted to First Minister.”

Whether the patient visited Crosshouse Hospital or Ayr Hospital is unknown.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are sorry that this person’s experience fell short of the service every patient deserves.

“We are determined to improve A&E performance and recognise the relationship between long waits and increased risk of harm. 8 hour waits have decreased by 54.9% overall since the winter peak, with 12 hour waits decreasing 61.6%.

“Delayed discharge continues to have a major impact on performance. Under our new national approach, patients who no longer need to be in hospital will be urgently reassessed.

"Those clinically safe to be discharged will be safely moved home or to an interim placement in a care home.”

In a similar incident in September 2022 it was revealed a patient waited 84 hours – three and a half days - in A&E at Crosshouse Hospital.

READ MORE: Patient waits 84 hours in A and E

Director of Acute Services at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Joanne Edwards, said: "We apologise to any patient who has to wait longer than the target four-hour period for either discharge or transfer to an appropriate setting from our Emergency Departments.

"Due to demand across our whole health and care system, and despite our staff working hard to assess and treat patients as quickly as possible, some patients have waited significantly longer than we would wish and we unreservedly apologise for that.

"We are fully committed to ensure that those with emergency and urgent needs are treated as quickly as possible alongside those patients who have been waiting for the longest period."