Hidden waiting lists 'abolished'

The figures revealed a steady decline in waiting times

Waiting times are down and so-called "hidden" waiting lists have been abolished, according to the Scottish Government.

The statistics were revealed by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon during a visit to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie.

She said all waiting time targets had now been effectively met.

But Labour and the Liberal Democrats said thousands of patients had been completely removed from waiting lists and referred back to their GPs.

The figures, published by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of the NHS in Scotland, are the first since the abolition of what the SNP called "hidden waiting lists" - patients who, for various reasons, were not included in the official statistics.

Steady decline

Ms Sturgeon said 30,000 people were in that category a year ago but the practice had now been consigned to history.

She said: "We have removed the smoke and mirrors that previously dogged Scotland's waiting list figures by ensuring that there is full transparency."

The figures revealed a steady decline in NHS waiting times for outpatient consultations, inpatient treatment, day case treatment, diagnostic tests and attendance at accident and emergency units.

The report found the typical out-patient waiting time was 42 days, although for some patients it was as long as 113 days.

For inpatients the typical waiting time was 34 days but for some could be as long as 103 days.

Ms Sturgeon said the government would now push towards cutting the maximum waiting time between GP referral and treatment to 18 weeks by the end of 2011.

But Labour MSP Dr Richard Simpson said the report did not show the number of patients who were taken off waiting lists because they had been referred back to their family doctor.

He claimed 20,931 people on the out-patient waiting list had been referred back to their GPs, along with 2,452 people in the inpatient list.

He said: "We need to have evidence that these patients are being treated and not dropping out of the system."

Jamie Stone, the Liberal Democrat spokesman for public health, said: "Stopping the clock may allow the government to boast about meeting waiting time targets, but this will be of little comfort to those patients stuck between GPs and specialists and still waiting for treatment."

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