Heart patients facing long treatment delays

HEART patients in Scotland are facing ‘utterly unacceptable’ delays for appointments.

Figures show that some are waiting up to nine months to see a cardiologist after being referred by a GP.

Under Scottish Government targets, they should wait no longer than 12 weeks.

But research by the Scottish Conservatives found waiting times for cardiology appointments regularly breached the rules between April and June.

During those three months, 12,810 patients attended appointments with heart specialists.

But 1,418 had waited longer than 12 weeks – more than one in ten. of these, 846 had waited more than 16 weeks.

In NHS Ayrshire and Arran, almost 35 per cent of heart patients were not treated on time, with the longest wait 262 days.

In NHS Grampian, 37 per cent missed the target, with a longest wait of 224 days. one third of patients missed the target in NHS Tayside, with the longest wait 276 days – or nine months.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘We know all too well the problems caused by heart disease across Scotland.

‘Yet despite the warm words from the SNP, cardiology patients are waiting months to see a specialist.

‘This is utterly unacceptable. It’s outrageous someone could be referred by a GP for a heart problem, then have to wait up to nine months to clap eyes on a specialist.

‘With every week that goes by, we learn more about how badly the NHS has struggled under SNP stewardship.

‘Key areas have been neglected, staffing levels have been allowed to slip and ministers have paid no heed to the challenges brought by an ageing population.

‘We need to see urgent action to turn these statistics around and improve cardiology care right across the country.’

But Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We’re investing £200million to create a network of new centres across Scotland.

‘These will enable people to be treated more quickly and help meet increasing demand.’