NHS waiting times are healthy, but lag behind England

Published on Tuesday 25 August 2009 19:49

MOST patients in Scotland are waiting less than 12 weeks for hospital appointments and surgery, figures out yesterday showed.

By the end of June, 99.9 per cent of patients referred by their GP or dentist for an outpatient appointed waited less than 12 weeks, alongside 99.6 per cent of those needing surgery or day case treatment. The figures also revealed that 97.7 per cent of people attending A&E were seen in less than four hours against a target of 98 per cent.

But despite the success, opposition parties questioned why Scotland was moving slower than England in bringing waiting times down.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Driving down waiting times is vital to ensure that patients get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.

"The 12-week target does not come into force until March 2010, and the fact that this continues to be delivered ahead of schedule shows that sustainable change in service delivery has been achieved. This is what makes a difference to the patient experience."

The NHS in Scotland is currently working towards a "whole journey" waiting time target of 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment, due to be delivered by the end of 2011.

Scottish Labour's Cathy Jamieson pointed out that England was already meeting the 18-week target ahead of Scotland.

She said: "I welcome the news that the NHS is succeeding in driving down waiting times and I want to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the staff who are making this happen.

"But there is still more to be done. In England, they have succeeded in delivering a 'whole journey' maximum waiting time of 18 weeks.

"It is disappointing to me that the SNP isn't aiming to meet this target for patients in Scotland until December 2011."