Statistics published on Tuesday have shown that during the week ending 11 September, none of the A&E departments in South Scotland met the Scottish Government’s legally binding target of 95% of patients being admitted to the hospital, transferred or discharged within four hours of arriving at A&E.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway saw the highest figure in the south region at 78.5 per cent; with 67 per cent in Ayrshire and Arran; 63.7 per cent for NHS Borders; 60.4 per cent for NHS Lothian and just 51.9 per cent for NHS Lanarkshire.

Hundreds of patients across the south of Scotland were also forced to wait over eight hours and shockingly, some over 12 (see table below).

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said: “These statistics are proof positive of the Scottish Government’s life-threatening inaction.

“Far too many people in our area are waiting an unacceptable length of time for emergency care and staff are being overwhelmed because there simply aren’t enough of them. Make no mistake – lives will be lost as a result.

“Long waits in A&E used to be a sign that there were problems and pressures elsewhere in the NHS system, but the SNP have ignored the warnings and now our NHS is in perpetual crisis with excessive waiting times at A&E departments now the norm.

“While frontline NHS staff work tirelessly around the clock, the Scottish Government has not given them the support and resources they need and failed to make any meaningful attempt to address the underlying problems.

“If we are to avoid a full-blown crisis this winter then the government must act now.”