£300m funding share for RAH
The Royal Alexandra Hospital is to gain a share of £300m of government funding designed to tackle long waiting times for treatment.
The first instalment of £30m has been dished out to health boards including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in a bid to help medics carry out inpatient and day care.
It is hoped the targeted approach will drive down waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over three years nationally.
The initial investment in quarter one of the 2024/25 financial year has been welcomed by
Natalie Don.
The SNP MSP for Renfrewshire North and West said:“As the First Minister set out last October, the Scottish Government are committed to accelerating treatment in our NHS and reducing inpatient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over the next three years, backed by planned investment of an extra £100 million annually.
“This initial investment of £30 million will target reductions to national backlogs that built up through the pandemic, including orthopaedic treatment, diagnostics for cancer referrals and patients with the longest waits.”
She added:“This is all part of the Scottish Government’s programme to drive up productivity and tackle waiting lists.
“Our actions will further enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.”
Waiting lists for treatment reached an all-time high after the Covid-19 pandemic stopped all non-urgent care and operations for significant periods of time.
Operations were halted at Paisley’s RAH on a number of occasions as staff grappled with the virus, increased demand for emergency care and staff absences.