Thousands of patients will be left on trolleys in corridors this winter unless Scottish hospitals open more than 300 extra beds, doctors have warned.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has calculated that 320 more places are required in Scotland to prevent sick and elderly people queuing for hours for a space on the wards.
The college welcomed an additional £10 million from the Scottish government to help the NHS cope with the expected winter surge in illness but said that it had come too late.
David Chung, the college’s vice-president in Scotland, said: “Temporary funding injected into the system at this point of the year will make it difficult for emergency departments to respond to winter pressures. Planning for winter should be considered and