That is an increase of 18 minutes over the five-year period.

A significant increase was observed in 2022/23, when the waiting time rose to 66 minutes; as well as 2023/24, when the time rose to 71 minutes.

People are waiting 18 minutes more than in 2021/22. (Image: PA)

A third consecutive increase was recorded in 2024/25, when the median waiting time rose to 75 minutes, before a slight dip to 72 minutes this year.

“Every week patients in Edinburgh and across Scotland are facing dangerously long waits for urgent care in A&E,” Scottish Labour MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East Irshad Ahmed said in response to The Herald’s findings.

“Over the last five years average A&E waits in Edinburgh have soared, countless patients have been put at risk and hardworking staff have been put under huge amounts of pressure.

“In the election John Swinney and the SNP promised to tackle the A&E crisis and now they need to deliver,” he added.

The increase has taken place despite an increase in staffing and spending in the health board’s three emergency departments over the last half-decade.

In 2021/22, NHS Lothian employed the equivalent of 284.45 full time emergency department staff, paid a total of £19,110,913.

By 2025/26, these figures had risen to 319.73 and £27,220,047, respectively. 

The health board operates emergency departments at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, St John’s Hospital in Livingston, and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.

LibDem MSP for Edinburgh Northern Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said the figures were illustrative of Scotland’s struggling social care system.

“The increase in waiting times illustrates just how badly served our NHS is under the SNP,” she remarked. “Things have gone from bad to worse on their watch. 

“It’s also important to remember that Edinburgh is a growing city, but we are only served by one A&E in the south of the city.”

Ms Dijkstra-Downie added: “The only way to cut these waits is to fix the broken social care system. The gaps in community care are a bottleneck that’s causing 2,000 people a night to be marooned in hospital when they don’t need or want to be there.

“You simply cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care.”

Tory MSP Miles Briggs. (Image: PA)

Tory list MSP Miles Briggs added: “This sharp increase in waiting times in one of our country’s largest health boards pours cold water on the SNP’s claims that the NHS is improving on their watch.

 “Despite a series of recovery plans unveiled by a succession of SNP health secretaries, patients in my region are still having to put up with unacceptable delays for treatment. 

“Hardworking staff are being run ragged, and patients are continuing to suffer across NHS Lothian as a result of the nationalists’ mismanagement,” Mr Briggs remarked.

 “All patients attending A&E are triaged upon arrival to ensure those with the most urgent or life-threatening conditions are seen first or immediately,” Michelle Carr, chief officer for acute hospital services at the health board told The Herald.

 “The time it takes for a patient to receive diagnosis and treatment, which can be from a multidisciplinary team including doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and specialists, will vary depending on the urgency of their clinical need.

 “Our teams are facing increasing pressure across urgent and emergency care, including an increase in the numbers of patients and more complex cases and patient needs, as well as discharge delays.

 “We apologise to patients who have waited too long and we would reassure them that we are working hard to improve earlier assessment, patient flow, discharge planning and are working with our colleagues in health and social care partnerships to reduce avoidable delays across the system.”

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Across Scotland, figures show that the number of people experiencing long waits in emergency departments has fallen slightly over the last week.

64.3% of patients were seen within the government’s four-hour target in the week to June 7 – up from 63.9% the week before.

The percentage of people waiting more than eight hours also decreased, from 11.9% to 11.7%.

Health Secretary Angela Constance told the Press Association: “I am 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.”