A new methodology to accurately capture all A&E activity in weekly and monthly Public Health Scotland statistical publications will be applied from 4 February 2025.

The move, backed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, means published statistics will now include ‘planned’ A&E attendances.

This is where a patient is given a specific time slot to attend a minor injury unit or A&E department to receive emergency care.

Dr David McKean, clinical director of emergency medicine at NHS Lothian, said the change demonstrated a "further commitment to providing safe, timely care to patients across Scotland. It should help to remove variation and ensure that all patients requiring emergency care are treated consistently across services.”

The update follows recommendations from an expert working group, that was asked to consider how to improve the consistency in the recording of A&E activity nationally. The inclusion of ‘planned’ attendances in Scottish A&E statistics aligns with the inclusion of booked ‘new’ appointments in A&E statistics reported in England.

In a published analysis of the new methodology, Public Health Scotland have confirmed the changes will have a minimal impact on performance figures.

National clinical lead for quality and safety NHS Scotland, Dr John Harden, said: “On behalf of the Scottish government, I thank the expert working group for their work to explore how we can improve the consistency in the recording of A&E activity.

“As we strive to improve A&E performance, it is vital that we have a clear picture of emergency care across the country, and that the data we collect reflects the hard work of staff on the ground, so we have accepted the group’s recommendation to include planned A&E attendances in published stats.