Patients ‘failed’ as SNP miss health targets across the board

29 Aug 2017

Patients across Scotland are being “failed” by an SNP government which is continuing to miss a series of health targets, the Scottish Conservatives have said.

Figures released today revealed people are still waiting too long for a range of treatments, and that a legal guarantee brought in by the nationalists is regularly breached.

The ISD statistics show that in June, just 84.8 per cent of patients were seen to within 18 weeks of referral, well below the target of 90 per cent.

That particular goal hasn’t been met since 2014, and means nearly 16,000 people waited too long for treatment to begin in June.

In addition, in the same month, nearly one in five patients awaiting a key diagnostic case were being forced to wait six weeks or more – the equivalent of 13,500 people. In some health boards, more than a third missed that target.

And for outpatients, more than a quarter had to wait longer than 12 weeks for an appointment, the worst performance in seven years.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said:

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find an NHS target the SNP does consistently hit.

“Its stewardship of the health service has been nothing short of a disgrace, and patients right across the country are suffering as a result.

“This shameful performance from the nationalists means tens of thousands of patients every month receive a lower standard of care than they’re entitled to.

“Month after month the SNP government is criticised for these statistics, yet nothing ever seems to get better.

“The SNP isn’t just failing to hit its own targets, it’s failing vulnerable people in every part of Scotland.”

To see the full ISD Scotland report on waiting times, visit:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/Publications/2017-08-29/2017-08-29-WT-18WksRTT-Report.pdf
https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/Publications/2017-08-29/2017-08-29-WT-Diagnostic-Report.pdf
https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/Publications/2017-08-29/2017-08-29-WT-IPDCOP-Report.pdf