Worst waiting times in country

Over 1000 face treatment delays

Operations are being timetabled at weekends in an attempt to clear a backlog of surgery procedures in NHS Forth Valley.

The move is one of a number of steps introduced by health chiefs after latest figures showed waiting times for inpatient and day case appointments, for the first three months of the year, were the worst the country.

Only 56.1 per cent of NHS Forth Valley patients in that category were seen within the 12-week target time which compares with a total across Scotland for January to March of 75.9 per cent and 80.4 per cent in the final quarter of last year.

Of the 2549 in Forth Valley who were called for inpatient or day case procedures between January and March, a total of 1119 had waited for over 12 weeks.

A spokesman for the NHS Forth Valley acknowledged there had been challenges in meeting the 12- week treatment time target.

She added: “We are continuing to do everything possible to reduce delays. Additional theatre capacity is being provided, including a number of weekend sessions, to increase the number of operations we carry out each week.

“This will help reduce waiting times for orthopaedic, general and vascular surgery where we are experiencing particular high demand.

“Priority continues to be given to patients who require urgent treatment and those who have experienced longer waits.”

Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Claire Baker branded the performance “unacceptable”.

She said: “In 2012 the SNP introduced the treatment time guarantee, which gave patients a legal right to treatment within 12 weeks for conditions such as knee and eye operations.

“Across Scotland, the law has been broken 134,804 times since it was introduced in 2012, with Tayside, Forth Valley and Fife making up 17 per cent of these failures.

“Long and unknown waits can have a negative impact on a person’s work, family life, mental and physical wellbeing.

Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford praised NHS Forth Valley staff and said the area was to receive a share of a £50 million Scotland-wide investment to help deliver swift treatment and diagnostics– and shorten waiting times.

He added: “The Scottish Government has already committed to invest an extra £2 billion above inflation by the end of this Parliament – the highest funding offer of any party at the last election – and we already invest more in our NHS per

We are continuing to do everything possible to reduce delays. Additional theatre capacity is being provided