Health boards in the north of Scotland have managed to buck national trends across one of the busiest periods for A&E departments.
Patients visiting NHS Highland, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles emergency departments were almost all dealt with within four hours, according to Scottish Government statistics.
Across the country as many as 12% of patients had to wait up to eight hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged from A&E.
NHS Orkney dealt with all its emergency patients within four hours, while NHS Shetland dealt with 97% in the same period.
NHS Western Isles dealt with 98% in four hours, while NHS Highland dealt with 93.4% in the same period.
NHS Grampian was also singled out for praise after it significantly improved the speed with which it dealt with emergency appointments over the last two weeks.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This is a time of substantial increased pressure on our NHS.
“We know from previous experience that these weeks are always the period when the performance of our A&E departments are affected most significantly.
“This week’s figures show just how much A&E performance can fluctuate, not only from week to week, but also from hospital to hospital, particularly at this time of year.
“This first week of the year came after a four-day public holiday, and we know that also impacts on performance the following week.
“Our clear focus is now on supporting boards and hardworking staff to ease pressure across the system.
“We have already invested some £10.7million to help cope with extra winter demand and we have been providing expert support for boards where required.
“However, while we expected the first week of a new year to be challenging, our NHS, from A&E departments to wards and community services, has worked together to deliver a marked improvement from last year.
“I would like to thank the efforts of our front line staff who have made this possible.”
NHS Grampian said it was the success of its public information campaign which led to the improvement in performance at A&E.
John Thomson, who is clinical director of emergency medicine at the health board, said: “We hope that the recent performance against the four-hour standard of NHS Grampian is evidence that people are taking heed of our ‘Know Who To Turn To’ campaign to ensure that the emergency department is used appropriately and only when emergency or urgent treatment is needed.”