Nicola Sturgeon vows probe over health waiting lists

Nicola Sturgeon was responding to the opposition’s claims that the distortion of waiting lists was unlikely to be confined to NHS Lothian alone.

Labour has backed Audit Scotland’s decision to investigate waiting times and has called for a national whistle-blowing hotline for NHS staff to flag concerns.

It emerged in October last year that NHS Lothian patients were 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.

This prompted an independent investigation which, when published last week, found that bullying was common at certain levels within NHS Lothian.

Speaking during a Labour debate in Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said the situation in the health board was unacceptable but that there was no evidence to suggest the problems were more widespread.

She said: “Let me say this, genuinely and sincerely to Labour or indeed to anyone else: if you have evidence that waiting time rules are not being applied properly in any board, bring it forward

“If it is found to have any substance whatsoever, it will be dealt with immediately and appropriately.”