Background: How whistle was blown on board’s ‘problematic’ handling of waiting times

IT WAS during questions in the Scottish Parliament last October that it emerged NHS Lothian patients on waiting lists had been offered treatment in England.

Claims were made that steps had been taken to circumvent guidance on patient waiting times – notably the government’s 18-week target for referral to treatment – and it was revealed that two patients who refused to be treated in Northumberland had not been included on a list of patients waiting more than that target time.

NHS Lothian chief executive James Barbour, who has since retired, commissioned a review of waiting time management.

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Shortly afterwards, the job of carrying out that review was transferred from the health board to the Scottish Government.

The report identified that offering patients treatment south of the Border with “unrealistic treatment dates” was only one example of “problematic issues” in the health board’s handling of waiting times.

It also revealed a total of 1,234 people from NHS Lothian had been referred for care in the north of England.

The same report identified “significant” concerns about the organisation’s culture – notably that staff did not record anything that would disprove waiting time targets.

In April, the health board was publicly criticised by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon for manipulating waiting times. Two members of staff were suspended.