SCOTTISH Health Secretary Shona Robison has told hospital chiefs more improvements are needed to cut waiting times in accident and emergency departments.

Rolling out the next stage of the Scottish Government's £50m A&E action plan, Ms Robison said managers must "sustain the improvement seen since the winter" and make further progress to achieving waiting times targets.

Health boards have been allocated almost £9m and given a list of "six essential actions" they must take to help improve emergency care - including operating a seven-day service, which should increase the number of patients who can be discharged at weekends.

National improvement officers have been appointed to help hospitals make any necessary changes.

Scottish Labour politicians have pointed out that the Scottish Government has not met its own A&E waiting-times target for more than five years.

The goal - which has been achieved in the past - is for 95% of patients to receive the treatment they need and be discharged or admitted to hospital within four hours.

Latest figures show 93.5% of patients being treated within that time frame. This is an improvement on recent months. In January, more than 3,200 patients had to wait more than eight hours in A&E.

Ms Robison insisted that improving A&E performance could not be done in isolation, with action needed across the health and social care sector.

Last year the government announced £100m to help tackle the problem of bed-blocking, where patients have to stay in hospital when they are clinically well enough to leave while they wait for care to be arranged.

Ms Robison said: "The Scottish Government is committed to sustainably improving A&E performance, which is why we are working with health boards, the Royal Colleges and councils to roll out essential actions which will ensure best practice across the country.

"Last winter was challenging for our health boards despite the planning that went in to preparing for what is always a period of significant pressure.

"That is why all boards will be reviewing and refreshing their plans ahead of next winter and to ensure A&E performance improves across all 12 months of the year."

Professor Scott McLean, director of acute services at NHS Fife, welcomed the new approach, saying the health board had "already adopted some of the very sensible actions that are crucial to improving performance, and therefore quality of care to patients".

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) in Scotland has also welcomed Ms Robison's announcement.

Dr Martin McKechnie, vice-president of the college, said: "With improved patient flow and earlier discharges, patient safety and the quality of care all year round will be enhanced. In its STEP campaign, RCEM Scotland has called for these matters to be addressed, and we welcome the engagement we have had with the Cabinet Secretary on the issues, and the measures she is announcing today."

The Herald's NHS Time for Action campaign has been calling for a review of capacity in the NHS and social care to ensure the right resources are in the right place at the right time to look after the growing elderly population.

In January this year Ms Robison promised to draw up a plan showing what health and care services should look like in a decade, including what capacity is required.