Concern at paediatric wait times

The Scottish Government’s ‘failed management’ of the NHS has led to spiralling paediatric waiting times for children and young people in Ayrshire, Labour MSP Katy Clark has said.

New analysis of waiting times in NHS Ayrshire & Arran, published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), shows the number of children and young people waiting for an appointment at a given time rose more than double between October 2012 and September 2023 - from 498 to 1,051.

At the end of 2012, just one child or young person in the area was waiting up to 12 weeks to be seen as an outpatient.

As of September last year, 499 children or young people were waiting that long.

MSP Katy Clark said: “The impact of such waits can be severe, particularly as certain treatments need to be given within certain age ranges or at certain developmental stages. Serious delays can have a hugely detrimental impact on a young person’s life chances.

“These stark increases are a consequence of the Scottish Government’s failed management of the NHS, with investment failing to meet demand and backlogs building up in key areas.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to driving down waiting times for children and young people and have increased investment in frontline NHS Boards by more than half a billion pounds.

“The significant impact of Covid-19 on the normal operation of the NHS cannot be underestimated. Although challenges remain, we are pleased that waiting times for paediatric new outpatient appointments are going in the right direction.

“We will continue to target resources to reduce waiting times, particularly for those waiting longest for treatment, through maximising productivity and additional resources.

“The number of Paediatric Consultants within NHS Scotland has increased by 143.6 per cent since 2006 and we have also added 43 additional speciality training posts to paediatrics since 2014.”