More than a quarter of patients not being treated within 18-week target
More than a quarter of patients are not being treated within a Scottish Government target of 18 weeks from referral.
More than a quarter of patients are not being treated within a Scottish Government target of 18 weeks from referral, the latest figures show.
Public Health Scotland revealed on Tuesday that in the three months up to June 30, 73.6% of patients were reported as being treated within the timeframe.
The figure is 0.9% higher than in the previous quarter, but still falls well below the Scottish Government’s 90% target.
Some 209,912 patients were treated under the standard across all health boards except NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside.
There were 22% fewer people treated at quarter-end June 2022 when compared to quarter-end June 2019, which saw 269,687 patients, Public Health Scotland said.
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “It’s a simple truth that the quicker patients begin treatment, the better their chances of recovery are – so these figures make for grim reading.
“The SNP Government can’t blame the pandemic for these unacceptable stats, because it is now eight years since they last met their target of 90% of patients being treated within 18 weeks.
“It’s awful that more than a quarter of patients are not being seen within that timeframe – and there is no discernible improvement in the situation.
“Our health boards remain hamstrung in their efforts to get on top of the problem by the SNP’s shocking workforce planning over several years which has left Scotland’s NHS frontline at breaking point.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Excessively long waits have grown as a result of the pandemic, which is why earlier this summer we introduced a new set of targets to address the backlog of planned care.
“These ambitious targets are just part of the wider NHS Recovery Plan and we continue to work with Health Boards to deliver an NHS that is fit for purpose and focused on delivering the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub