Scottish A&E Data Shows One in Three Attendances Exceeded Four Hours in August

Fewer than seven in ten A&E attendances in Scotland ended within four hours during August 2026, according to the latest figures published by Public Health Scotland.

There were 152,331 attendances across Scottish A&E services during the month. Of those, 101,584, or 66.7%, resulted in admission, transfer or discharge within four hours. The equivalent figure in July was 69.1%, indicating a decline in performance on this measure.

Longer stays in emergency departments

The statistics also show 17,717 attendances lasted more than eight hours, while 7,071 lasted over 12 hours. The figures cover time spent in A&E from arrival to an outcome, so they are not directly comparable with England’s separate measure of delays following a decision to admit.

Why monthly context matters

A single month’s figures cannot explain why performance changed at each hospital. Attendance levels, the severity of patients’ conditions, bed availability and discharge arrangements can all influence waits. Scotland’s reporting system also distinguishes types of A&E attendance, and definitions have been revised in recent publications.

Performance standard

Public Health Scotland notes that compliance with the revised four-hour access standard has stayed below 80% since summer 2021. The headline August measure is therefore part of a longer-running issue rather than a one-off monthly fluctuation.

These data provide a benchmark ahead of autumn and winter. Future releases will indicate whether performance improves as services manage higher seasonal demand, but the information should be read in its own Scottish context rather than treated as a like-for-like UK league table.