Long waits at Scotland’s emergency departments have decreased, the latest weekly figures show.
Nearly two-thirds (65.6%) of patients at A&E were seen within the four-hour target in the week ending July 5, according to statistics from Public Health Scotland (PHS).
The figure is an increase from the 63.3% recorded the week prior.
The number of people waiting over eight fell from 12.9% to 10.1%, while waits over a dozen hours dropped from 4.9% to 3.4%.
However, the Scottish Government is still way off its target of 95% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
The Scottish Conservatives said the numbers “lay bare the devastating toll of the SNP’s failures to support Scotland’s NHS”.
Miles Briggs, the party’s health spokesman, said: “Since the SNP last met their own A&E waiting time target, there have been more than 2.4 million waits of over four hours, with countless patients left waiting in pain and uncertainty.
“After almost two decades in government, John Swinney is asleep at the wheel while Scotland’s NHS remains trapped in permanent crisis.
“Our frontline staff continue to perform heroically despite being let down by years of SNP mismanagement.
“John Swinney and Angela Constance must finally back Scottish Conservative plans to cut bureaucracy, boost staffing and get resources to the frontline to bring these unacceptable waits down.”
These are not unique to Scotland, with other UK nations facing similar demands.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “While there have been some improvements in the past week, A&E departments continue to experience significant pressures.
“These are not unique to Scotland, with other UK nations facing similar demands.
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving A&E performance and tackling delays for patients.
“That’s why we will be publishing a new national plan for improving the flow of patients through our hospitals, from the front door to discharge, within our first 100 days.”