GLASGOW'S hospital accident and emergency figures show a big drop in patients being treated within the four hour target.

None of the city's four casualty departments met the target of 95% to be either admitted or discharged within four hours during January this year.

The Western Infirmary was the lowest with 68.6% being seen within four hours. The others had similar rates with the royal Infirmary at 77.4%, the southern General on 78.6% and the Victoria on 79.9%.

In December last year the figures were 69.3% for the Western, 85.4% for the Royal, 85.8% for the Southern and 86% for the Victoria.

Nursing leaders and opposition politicians said it was more evidence of a crisis in the city's casualty departments.

Theresa Fyffe, RCN Scotland Director said: "Today's figures show that if you go to A&E your chances of being seen within the four hour target are decreasing.

"This is despite A&E staff and staff throughout the whole of the NHS working flat out to ensure people are treated as quickly and as effectively as possible.

"One of the reasons that the four hour target is being increasingly missed is because more and more seriously ill people are attending A&E. And these patients can't be moved on from A&E because of the huge and growing pressure on beds in the rest of the hospital."

Margaret Curran, Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: "1 out of every 4 patients in Glasgow hospitals are waiting longer than four hours for treatment. At the Glasgow Royal Infirmary last week, 55 patients waited longer than eight hours and at the Western Infirmary 71 people were waiting for over 12 hours.

"None of this is the fault of our stretched NHS staff who are doing the best they can under difficult circumstances. The SNP Government in Edinburgh need to get a grip of this crisis."