SNP First Minister John Swinney spent the night in an A&E — not on a trolley, but to observe the ongoing crisis and “congestion” in the service he presides over.

Mr Swinney spoke of his visit just days after he was forced to apologise at First Minister’s Questions to a retired police officer who spent more than five hours lying in pain on the floor of an A&E before being treated.

He told the Daily Record newspaper: “I spent [a] Saturday evening in the emergency department of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and I obviously saw a lot of congestion.

“It is the type of really visible, hands-on experience which is invaluable for me as first minister in looking at what we are wrestling with and what can we most effectively put in place to support the system.”

Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “That the First Minister is taking personal responsibility for something as important as our NHS is welcome.

“The truth is that John Swinney has been at the heart of this SNP government for nearly 18 years — this meltdown has happened on his watch.”