Under strain service in need of some care

A diagnosis of a serious heart condition is a worrying business for patients and those who care for them. Some might argue the 18-week target for treatment is lengthy enough when each passing day heaps stress on people whose health is already under strain.

So the revelation that patients in Tayside are waiting three months beyond that for specialised care – and that the nearest cardiology unit which can see them is 60 miles away in Edinburgh and is only available one day a week – seems unfair to say the least.

The numbers being referred to specialist centres outside Tayside are “small”, says NHS Tayside. And the practice is common to other health boards across the UK.

But that will come as little comfort to the local families for whom every day brings another anxious wait for a loved one to receive the treatment they desperately need.

Barely a day seems to pass without another story highlighting NHS underfunding and the impact of a shrinking pot of money on patients and hard-pressed staff.

Just yesterday, the SNP released figures, claiming Westminster income tax cuts will result in £39 million less for the NHS in Tayside and £34m in neighbouring Fife.

The parties can argue back and forth about who is to blame but what is not in dispute is that an NHS which asks cardiology patients to wait almost twice as long as the target time for treatment is urgently in need of some care and attention itself.