Dr Fiona Hunter

What Dr Fiona Hunter has said

• “Unfortunately it doesn't just begin when they arrive at hospital. Ambulances are stacked outside emergency departments. So there's a delay to some patients being brought into hospital – that can have a real knock-on effect for those patients that have a time-critical problem.”

  vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 30 Sept 2026 · Delayed discharges costing NHS Scotland £440m a year, report says ↗

• “This is yet another month of predictable broken records for emergency medicine performance in Scotland. The Scottish government continues to shout about improvements to NHS waiting lists. We, of course, welcome these but a lack of political will to put the same emphasis on addressing delayed discharges means our departments are at risk of total derailment.”

  RCEM's vice president for Scotland · A&E & ambulance response · 30 Sept 2026 · Scotland's A&Es in crisis as thousands wait for 12 hours or more ↗

• “As vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, and a consultant working in A&E who sees the daily reality of our hospitals, I write to the new Scottish Government with a clear and urgent message: be bold.”

  Vice-president, Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland; consultant working in A&E · A&E & ambulance response · 30 Sept 2026 · An NHS consultant's plea to the Scottish Government: A&E crisis demands bold action, not rhetoric ↗

• “There is no good reason for emergency departments (EDs) to be struggling this badly at this time of year. This is not winter. We are not grappling with seasonal illnesses like flu. We are in what is supposed to be the 'easier' months in emergency medicine. But long-term neglect of the ED crisis has left us unable to cope even in the warmer months. We are in a permanent crisis.”

  RCEM Scotland vice president · A&E & ambulance response · 30 Sept 2026 · Scottish A&E in ‘permanent crisis’ as thousands wait 12 hours or more ↗

• “Long waits in Emergency Departments (EDs) are dangerous for patients and, for the sickest patients who require admission into a ward, are associated with increased risk of death. The state of our departments is utterly dire. This winter has left our members, and the departments they work in, on their knees. We are crying out for help.”

  RCEM Vice President for Scotland · A&E & ambulance response · 30 Sept 2026 · Emergency medics 'crying out for help' as A&E waits hit worst level in 18 years ↗

Where Dr Fiona Hunter has been quoted

1. Scottish Emergency Departments experiencing ‘unsustainable’ summer pressure – The NENnen.press · 30 Sept 2026
2. Delayed discharges costing NHS Scotland £440m a year, report saysbbc.com · 30 Sept 2026
3. Scotland's A&Es in crisis as thousands wait for 12 hours or moreheraldscotland.com · 30 Sept 2026
4. An NHS consultant's plea to the Scottish Government: A&E crisis demands bold action, not rhetoricscotsman.com · 30 Sept 2026
5. Scottish A&E in ‘permanent crisis’ as thousands wait 12 hours or moreholyrood.com · 30 Sept 2026
6. Emergency medics 'crying out for help' as A&E waits hit worst level in 18 yearsscotsman.com · 30 Sept 2026