Waiting times at Glasgow’s Accident and Emergency departments have hit their worst level in years.

At the city’s biggest hospital almost half of those attending casualty were waiting more than four hours.

A&E staff are under serious pressure and the health board has asked people only to attend if their condition is "life threatening".

The latest report shows that at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital A&E the number of patients seen within the four hour target was 51.9% for the week ending August 29.

It is the lowest recorded for the department.

For the same week, the latest available the Royal Infirmary was down to 69.4%, the lowest since January 2018.

Glasgow Times:

Health bosses said there is an increasing number of patients attending A&E and increasing numbers also presenting with Covid.

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “ Our Emergency Deparment teams have been working extremely hard and for a considerable period have managed to see, diagnose and admit or discharge the majority of patients within the four hour target.

“In recent weeks, however, as has been the case across Scotland, pressures on our services have been mounting due to increased COVID infection, rising Emergency Department attendances and additional staffing pressures.”

“We continue to prioritise emergency, trauma and cancer care alongside the increasing COVID admissions.

“We recognise the strain this has put on both staff and services and will support both as much as possible.”

The health board asked people to remember GP surgeries are open and outside office hours to contact NHS 24 on 111 and only to attend Emergency Departments if their condition is “life- threatening.”