This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Patient waiting times at all time low
27/02/2007
The Executive's 18-week maximum waiting times target for inpatients and day cases has been officially confirmed as being met one year ahead of schedule, Health Minister Andy Kerr said today.
The latest quarterly waiting times figures (to end December 2006) show the NHS has achieved its best ever all round performance with patients continuing to benefit from the lowest ever inpatient and outpatient waiting times.
Significant increases in activity by NHS Scotland have made a major contribution to these improvements. Routine inpatient and day case activity is now at record levels - with key procedures which bring major quality of life benefits to patients such as angioplasty up 153 per cent, knee joint replacements up 79 per cent, and cataract operations up 38 per cent since 1999.
Mr Kerr said:
"Long waits in our NHS are becoming a thing of the past. Today's figures confirm that our national 18-week maximum waiting times guarantee for inpatients and day cases has been achieved a year early.
"No patient with a guarantee in Scotland now waits longer than 18 weeks for inpatient and day case treatment. That is great news for patients and something that all NHS staff should be proud of.
"The number of patients waiting over 18 weeks for an outpatient appointment is also at an all-time record low, with an 81 per cent reduction since September 2004 when records began."
The figures also show:
- The NHS in Scotland again delivered the Executive's commitments on the diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart diseases
- The number of patients waiting longer than nine weeks for key diagnostic tests fell by 52 per cent from July to December last year
- 93 per cent of patients attending A&E departments were admitted, discharged or transferred within 4 hours compared with 90 per cent in September 2006
- More progress towards the Executive's target of 95 per cent of cancer patients being seen within 62 days of urgent referral, with 83 per cent compliance by NHSScotland
The Minister added:
"Faster diagnosis means faster treatment for patients. This performance on diagnostic waits puts us ahead of schedule towards meeting our maximum wait target of nine weeks by the end of this year.
"We're also on track to meet our four-hour accident and emergency waiting time target by the end of the year. With 10 months still to go, nine out of 10 A&E departments are already performing at above 90 per cent and one third are already meeting the target a year ahead of schedule.
"Cancer waits are moving in the right direction but this is not happening quickly enough. Over the year there has been good progress with performance on all cancers up eight per cent but there is still more work to do.
"We have recently introduced support to NHS Boards to spread good practice and establish weekly monitoring to track patients through the system and to identify problems quickly. Local information confirms that these changes are having a positive effect and I'm convinced these actions will deliver faster progress towards achieving our target."
The Executive's commitment to a maximum six month wait for inpatient/day case treatment and for first outpatient appointments came into effect on December 31, 2005. The commitment to a maximum 18 week wait comes into effect on December 31, 2007.
Key diagnostic tests: The nine-weeks maximum wait for key diagnostic tests comes into effect on December 31, 2007.
Cancer: The 2005 target is for a maximum 62 days from urgent referral to treatment with a target compliance rate of 95 per cent. Today's figures only show the situation up until last September and since then a range of measures have been introduced to drive forward improvement. These include weekly monitoring to track patients' progress through the system and a Cancer Performance Support Team working directly with Boards to identify blockages and deliver necessary changes.
A&E: The A&E target - four hours between arrival and admission, transfer or discharge - comes into effect on December 31, 2007.
Figures also released today show there has been a significant rise in the number of key procedures performed by the NHS since March 1999.
Some examples of the substantial increases in activity:
- In NHS Fife a rise of 13.5 per cent in the number of patients admitted, treated and discharged on the same day, and over 9 per cent in routine inpatient activity in the last year - an unprecedented level of increase
- In NHS Lanarkshire an increase of 14 per cent over the past year in the number of patients admitted, treated and discharged on the same day