Edinburgh and Lothian A&E waiting times: Nearly 1,200 die after waiting over 4 hours in accident and emergency

Edinburgh and Lothian death figures published under Freedom of Information laws

Nearly 1,200 people have died in Lothian since 2018 after waiting more than four hours in the region’s accident and emergency departments.

Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation shows the number of deaths in the region following a wait longer than the target increased from 178 in 2018 to 223 in 2021 and 468 in 2022. Some health boards – including the biggest, Greater Glasgow and Clyde – did not respond to the data request from the Scottish Conservatives, and others, including Lanarkshire and Grampian, said they did not keep the information asked for.

But the Conservatives said the data gathered from 10 health boards showed 1,965 patients had died after a wait of over four hours was recorded, with NHS Lothian being responsible for over half of the deaths, a total of 1,181.

Accident and emergency at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary - nearly 1,200 patients have died since 2018 after waiting more than four hours in Lothian A&E departments. Picture: Ian Georgeson.

The NHS Lothian reply gave the figures for patients who had died within 24 hours of discharge after a length of stay in A&E of more than four hours. In 2018, the figure stood at 178, dropping to 113 in 2019 and then rising slightly to 127 in 2020. In 2021, 223 people died, with 468 in 2022. So far this year, 72 deaths have been recorded.

Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, said: "The increase in the number of deaths following over a four-hour wait in A&E is very concerning. Longer waiting times to be seen by a health professional at A&E departments are undoubtedly leading to more deaths. SNP ministers have allowed the situation to get this bad, nowhere more so than in NHS Lothian.

"Frontline doctors and nurses work flat out to help everyone who comes through the door, but under resourcing and understaffing put them in an impossible position. NHS Lothian has been one of the most underfunded health boards over the last decade leading to greater issues within A&E departments.

"We have seen record waiting times in NHS Lothian A&E in recent years. Repeated Health Secretaries, including the current First Minister, have failed to get to grips with Scotland's health service , which has been in decline since the SNP came to power. NHS Lothian urgently needs the necessary support to improve A&E waiting times."

NHS Lothian pointed out it is the second largest health board in Scotland, serving the second largest population, and Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary is one of the major trauma centres for some of the sickest and most seriously injured patients in south-east Scotland. It said that between 2020 and 2022, the teams in its A&E departments faced unprecedented challenges and pressures because of the Covid pandemic and it apologised to all the patients and families affected.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We know performance is still not where it needs to be and we are working closely with the health boards facing the greatest challenges."