PARENTS claim children are facing longer waits for emergency treatment in Glasgow following the closure of a children’s ward in Paisley.

The paediatric unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley was closed on February 9 following a majority decision by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

All children in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde catchment requiring in-patient or day care treatment are now seen at the Royal Hospital for Children.

Figures from the week ending February 11, two days after the unit closed, show that 90% of patients were seen with the target 4 hours.

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The following week, 95% of children were seen within the timeframe, and since then the figures has fluctuated from 94% to 96% since the - well within the target range.

However, some parents claims it is taking longer for children to be seen by doctors and described the waiting room as being “shoulder to shoulder” with emergency cases.

Clare Steel, whose daughter was seen by A&E doctors on Monday and Tuesday last week, tweeted: “I’ve never seen a waiting room with people shoulder to shoulder busy, apparently it’s now like this every day since Paisley Children’s ward closed.

“Over three hours now been waiting place just keeps getting busier.

“It was a nurse who told us it’s been chaos every day since the Children’s Ward in Paisley closed.

“We had to join the crowd in reception area as we couldn’t even get in the waiting room. It was horrendous.”

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However, another parent responded to the tweet, saying: “I’ve spent the past three months back and forward to QEH and have to say that mostly the staff have been impressive and the waits not too long.

“Our NHS staff are doing a grand job.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison gave NHSGGC permission to end inpatient and day case paediatrics at Ward 15 in January, after a long-running campaign by parents and local residents to save it.

Community paediatric services have remained at the RAH.

Ms Robison said the decision had “overwhelming clinical support”, while NHSGGC said young patients would benefit from “state-of-the-art facilities” at the new Glasgow children’s hospital, which includes nine dedicated children’s theatres and a 20-bed paediatric critical care unit.