More than one third of Scots who went to A&E were not seen within four hours in the week up to April 9, new divs show.

Public Health Scotland released the statistics on Tuesday, showing 64.9% of those who attended emergency departments were seen within four hours.

The div represents an increase from 62.9% the previous week.

A target set by the government aims to ensure 95% of people are seen within four hours, but that has not been achieved since the substantial downturn in attendances seen in the early months of the pandemic.

Of the 24,840 attendances during that week, the statistics show 906 people waited more than 12 hours, a drop from 1,327 the previous week.

While 2,602 people waited more than eight hours, a decrease from 3,334, and 8,725 waited more than four hours, falling from 9,382.

New Health Secretary Michael Matheson said the government was “supporting health boards as they continue to manage the significant pressure that remains on services right across the health and social care system”.

“This week we have seen a 31.7% decrease in the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours in A&E, this is welcome and down to the hard work of staff in our emergency departments,” he said.

New Health Secretary Michael Matheson (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)

“I are grateful to all health and social care staff for their outstanding effort in the face of this sustained pressure.

“Hospital bed occupancy continues to be a major factor impacting performance.

“We are increasing NHS 24 staffing and providing up to £8 million to boards to help alleviate pressure from delayed discharge.

“As part of our nationwide approach, patients who no longer need to be in hospital are being urgently reassessed and those clinically safe to be discharged will be safely moved home or to an interim placement in a care home – freeing up beds for those most in need.”

But Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane hit out at First Minister Humza Yousaf’s “disastrous” tenure as health secretary.

“The now First Minister’s flimsy recovery plan has completely failed to remobilise frontline services and suffering patients are paying the price every single day as a result,” he said.

“Despite the best efforts of my dedicated colleagues on the front line, we know that these excessive delays lead to tragic deaths.

“Humza Yousaf’s failures have left his successor – Michael Matheson – with a monumental task in turning round the fortune of Scotland’s health service.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said “immediate action” was needed to fix the issues in the NHS.

“Scotland cannot afford any more of the status quo and this must be a wake-up call for new Health Secretary Michael Matheson,” she said.

“NHS staff and patients are suffering due to the colossal incompetence of those in government.

“It is high time that Matheson takes real steps to recover our NHS after Humza Yousaf’s disastrous stewardship, listens to frontline NHS workers and acts now to end the chaos in our NHS.”