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Improvements in NHS performance
26/02/2008
Waiting lists are at an all time record low with patients being treated more swiftly than ever before Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said today.
Commenting on the latest official validated waiting times statistics published today by ISD Scotland Ms Sturgeon also commended Health Boards across Scotland for meeting a number of key national waiting times targets which came into effect on December 31, 2007, and paid tribute to the hard work of NHS staff in delivering the targets.
Nicola Sturgeon said:
"This is a tremendous achievement by NHS Scotland who have successfully delivered a large number of challenging and demanding waiting times targets. This reflects a significant performance change across a wide range of hospital services improving patients' experience of hospital care.
"Excellent progress has also been made towards meeting the cancer waiting times targets with the Service recording the best performance ever to the period ending September 30, 2007 and ensuring that it is now well placed to deliver the 95 per cent target by the first quarter of 2008.
"This is particularly heartening and reflects that the specific actions I put in place to tackle issues of underperformance on cancer waiting times are working to the benefit of patients.
"The NHS has also recorded the lowest ever waiting lists for both inpatients and outpatients since records began. Fewer people are waiting and waiting times for access to hospital care are now at their lowest ever level.
Official figures showed that:
- No patient had waited more than 18 weeks for a first outpatient consultation following GP referral or for hospital inpatient and day case treatment
- The 9-weeks maximum waiting time for key diagnostic tests continued to be met ahead of schedule with 99.7 per cent compliance
- The "total journey" targets of 16 weeks for cardiac intervention, from GP referral and 18 weeks for cataract surgery, from GP or Optometrist referral, were effectively delivered
- A&E Departments delivered 98 per cent compliance with the 4-hours target for admission, discharge or transfer
- 97 per cent of patients with hip fracture waited no more than 24 hours for hip surgery following admission to a specialist unit, effectively meeting this target
- Cancer waiting times statistics for the quarter ended 30 September 2007 showed a 91.6 per cent compliance with the 62-day target - a rise of 4.3 percentage points on the previous quarter and a rise of 9.1 percentage points on the same quarter last year
- The waiting list for treatment, including patients with no guarantee stood at 66,813 its lowest level since records began in 1992 - down 25,980 (28 per cent) on a year ago. At its highest it stood at 114,052 at December 31, 2004
- Also an all time low - the waiting for a first outpatient consultation following referral was 159,997 down 29,411 (15.5 per cent) on a year ago. At its highest 259,391 patients were on the waiting list at September 30, 2004
Availability Status Codes - the practice of hidden waiting lists, were also abolished on January 1, 2008 and national maximum waiting times will now apply to all patients who require to be seen or treated in a hospital.
Nicola Sturgeon said:
"Hidden waiting lists have been consigned to history. This is very good news indeed for patients who are now benefiting from a more transparent system, improved access and reduced waiting times.
"We will continue to work with the NHS in Scotland to drive down waiting times further. We are committed to a 'whole journey' maximum waiting time of 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment, to be delivered from December 31, 2011.
"As a stepping stone towards this I have already set maximum waiting times targets of 15 weeks for outpatient consultations, 6 weeks for diagnostic tests and 15 weeks for hospital inpatient and day case treatment, to be achieved from 31 March 2009. NHS Boards are now working to deliver these.
On December 31, 2007, 8,493 patients on the inpatient/day case waiting list held an availability status code.
Those who are available for treatment became active waiters on January 1, 2008 and must be admitted for treatment within 18 weeks - May 5, 2008.
Those who are unavailable for treatment will remain on the waiting list, flagged as suspended but crucially reviewed at intervals of three months or less.