SCOTTISH health secretary Neil Gray was told today to take “urgent action” over “appalling” statistics that showed emergency department waits worsened across every metric in Scotland.

Just 62.7 per cent — or 16,660 patients — were seen and subsequently admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target time in the week ending March 31.

That is down from 65.3 per cent — or 17,588 patients — the previous week, according to figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS).