ALMOST 90 per cent of accident and emergency patients in Fife were seen within four hours over the busy festive period.

Figures recorded between 22nd December and 4th January showed that 87.3 per cent of Fife patients were seen within four hours of coming into A&E, just slightly below the national average of 88.8 per cent.

Health Secretary Shona Robison admitted that the winter period was a “challenging time” for A&E services but said staff had been working “extremely hard” to make sure the waiting times were as short as possible.