Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon today pledged a new “whole journey” waiting time target of 18 weeks from GP referral to hospital treatment for patients in Scotland by December 2011.
Under the new three-year plan, which is being backed by a £270m support package, Sturgeon said patients will receive treatment within 18 weeks of seeing their GP, regardless of how many hospital appointments they need.
Sturgeon said: "The people of Scotland deserve nothing less than a world-class healthcare system, where unnecessary waiting for treatment and care becomes a thing of the past.
"The NHS in Scotland should be commended for their work in reducing waiting times. Excellent progress has been made, and just last week I congratulated boards for delivering against a number of key December 2007 targets.
"All patients are being seen in a clinic within 18 weeks of being referred by a GP, and if an operation is needed, all inpatients and day cases are being treated within 18 weeks of being placed on a hospital waiting list, which could mean a patient waiting a total of 36 weeks.
However, she said that looking ahead they must strive for continuous improvement and realist that much more needs to be done to realise patients’ expectations.
She continued: "Today's announcement is different from previous targets. It poses a very significant challenge, since it effectively reduces current maximum waiting times by more than half.
"Nobody expects overnight change. Realistic short, medium and long-term goals have been set within a considerable structure.
"Easing the pressure of long waiting times give us the opportunity to provide ever-better care, dramatically improve patient experience and reduce bureaucracy - saving time, energy and resources. I am absolutely determined that NHS boards will deliver on this with the assistance of a robust support package."
One person has commented on this article. 1. New “whole journey” waiting time target set
Kosmog, Unregistered Whilst it may be true that the Cabinet Secretary was congratulating Boards on their achievements to date last week, it is also the case that NHS Tayside were caught removing at least one patient from a list in order to meet target. The new target is laudable in principle but I hope that the Cabinet Secretary is true to her promise of not expecting change overnight.
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