Patient waits four years for disorder diagnosis
Ministers have been warned about “harmful” long waits for diagnoses with neuro developmental disorders as new figures showed one patient waited more than four years to have their condition confirmed.
Data obtained using Freedom of information showed a patient in nhs ayrshire and arran waited 1,518 days–about four years and one month – to have a diagnosis confirmed.
The figures, obtained by the Scottish liberal democrats, also showed a patient in the same health board area waited 1,293 days – more than three-and-ahalf years – for a diagnosis of autism, one of the main types of n euro developmental disorder.
The data also showed an NHS Tayside patient had to wait 1,323 days to be diagnosed with an euro developmental disorder.
As well as autism, such disorders can include communication disorders, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and n euro developmental motor disorders, including tic disorders.
Raising the issue on world autism awareness day, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-hamilton said: “For parents and children waiting on a diagnosis to open the door to support services, theserevelations will be depressingly familiar .”
He said that “inordinate waits” for diagnosis could be “particularly harmful for children with autism and n euro developmental concerns ”.
Mr Cole-hamilton added that waiting “delays a diagnosis that will be key to making sure they get the help they need in other
aspects of their lives”. Scottish Liberal democrats have“repeatedly called for better support ”, Mr Cole-hamilton said, as he urged Health Secretary Neil Gray to “act to ensure that all those waiting get the help they need”.
Yesterday, Humza Yousaf pledged action to reduce the number of patients waiting too long for NHS treatment – announcing that £30 million will be spent to tackle the issue
in the next three months. The cash is part of £300m the Scottish Government has promised to spend addressing backlogs in the health service over the next three years.
The initial cash will be used to reduce backlogs for treatment that built up during the Covid pandemic, including for orthopaedic treatment and diagnostic tests for those suspected of having cancer, as well as targeting patients
who have suffered the longest waits. It comes after official figures showed that at the end of 2023 there were 824,725 people in Scotland waiting for an outpatient appointment, tests or treatment.
Statistics from Public Health Scotland also revealed that as of December 31, there were 17,761 Scots who had been waiting 18 months or more for in-patient or day case treatment – including 7,179 patients who had been waiting at least two years while 1,446 patients had been on the list for three years or more.
Mr Yousaf announced the initial tranche of £30 ma she visited the National Treatment Centre in fife, which was opened exactly one year ago. The First Minister said :“We are committed to accelerating treatment in our Nhs and reducing in patient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over the next three years”
These revelations will be depressingly familiar