health · the national record
A&E waiting times in Scotland
Every A&E attendance in Scotland since 2007, from Public Health Scotland. This is the pressure in one place: how the four hour standard has slipped, how the longest waits have grown, which health boards are under most strain, and how it looks at St John's Hospital in Livingston. In the latest month 68.0% were seen within four hours, against a 95% standard.
How to read this
These are Public Health Scotland's published monthly figures, reported by hospital site. The headline is the share of attendances admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours, against the Scottish Government's 95% standard. The eight and twelve hour figures count the longest waits, mostly at the major emergency departments.
Every figure is computed from the published monthly returns. St John’s Hospital is identified by its site code in the NHS Scotland A&E site list.
The four hour standard
From 97% to two thirds
In 2007 Scotland's emergency departments saw 97% of patients within four hours, comfortably above the 95% standard. That share has fallen almost every year since, to around 66.8% now. The standard has not been met nationally for over a decade.
2007 and 2026 are part years (the series starts in July 2007 and runs to the latest month). The percentage is unaffected; only the attendance count is partial.
The longest waits
Twelve hour waits, then and now
The clearest sign of strain is the number of people waiting more than twelve hours. In 2007 that happened 241 times in the whole year. In 2024 it happened 81,148 times. The longest waits have gone from rare to routine.
By health board
Where the strain is greatest
Four hour performance over the last twelve months, by health board. The large mainland boards are under the most pressure; the island and smaller boards do best. NHS Lothian, which runs St John’s in Livingston, sits in the middle of the pack.
Close to home
St John’s Hospital, Livingston
West Lothian's emergency department is at St John's Hospital in Livingston, part of NHS Lothian. It has followed the national path: 97.4% within four hours back in 2007, around 66.2% in the latest year, on roughly 67,000 attendances over the last twelve months.
Four hour rate by year
Questions this raises
For the boards and government
- 1.
The four hour standard has not been met nationally since the mid 2010s. Is it still the right target, and what would it take to get back to it?
- 2.
Twelve hour waits have risen more than a hundredfold. How much of that is emergency department capacity, and how much is flow through the hospital and social care on the way out?
- 3.
Performance varies widely by board, from just over half to nearly all within four hours. What are the best performing boards doing that others could adopt?
- 4.
Attendances are back near their pre pandemic level. Is demand the driver, or is it what happens to patients once they arrive?
Sources & method
Data provenance
- Public Health Scotland, Monthly A&E Activity and Waiting Times ↗· Open Government Licence v3.0
Caveats & data notes
- The four hour standard set by the Scottish Government is that 95% of attendances are seen within four hours.
- Figures cover all A&E department types, both major emergency departments and minor injury units. The major departments are under the most pressure.
- The eight and twelve hour waits are episode based and recorded mainly at the major emergency departments.
- St John’s Hospital is identified by its NHS Scotland site code (NHS Lothian). 2007 and the latest year are part years.
- Recent months can be revised in later releases.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Every figure on this page traces to its official source. Share it as it stands.
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