Waiting times row health board misses treatment target

Across Scotland, 91.5 per cent of patients whose waiting time from referral to starting treatment could be measured got medical help within 18 weeks.

The Scottish government has previously set the goal of having at least 90 per cent of patients beginning treatment within this time, with the target coming into effect at the end of last year.

Official figures from March showed that across the country 101,846 patients began their treatment within 18 weeks of being referred while a total of 9,419 people had to wait longer.

But in NHS Lothian only 85.3 per cent of such patients began their treatment within 18 weeks of being referred.

That meant 2,324 people in the area had to wait longer than the target time.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said NHS Lothian was now “working hard” to reduce the number of patients who have to wait too long.

It comes after it emerged in October that patients in the area who refused to travel to England for treatment were removed from the 18-week list.

Some patients had been referred to Northumberland for treatment. When they declined to go, they were marked as “unavailable for social reasons” and not included among patients on a list which had the target time of 18 weeks for treatment.

Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said the figures showed that “clearly NHS Lothian has been ill-equipped to deal with the number of patients it receives for many years”.

Mr Carlaw said the waiting times “fiddle” at the board had “fraudulently attempted to present disastrous waiting times facts in a better light” and was “entirely at the expense of patients”.

The Tory deputy leader argued: “Had the health board’s struggle to deal with waiting lists been made clear years ago, some action could have been taken.

“Instead, we still have patients waiting an unacceptably long time for care and a health board which stands no realistic chance of hitting the targets set.”

But Ms Sturgeon said she was “proud” the waiting-time target was being met across the country as a whole.

She said: “Quick access to treatment, delivered as locally as possible, is what patients want.

“I am proud to say that NHS Scotland is delivering on the target to ensure that patients are treated in 18 weeks or less.”