Scandal of rise in waiting times for life-saving tests

WAITING times for vital heart and lung disease tests have rocketed.

The number of people who waited more than nine weeks for a lung test leapt from only 16 for the whole of Scotland in 2011 to 4,415 last year, according to a Freedom of Information response.

Waiting lists for a heart disease check have jumped four-fold, with 43 per cent waiting more than four weeks for a 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) test last year, compared to 9.6 per cent in 2011.

Heart and lung tests are not subject to the same six-week targets as cancer checks, and are not routinely published.

Campaigners claim they are being starved of resources as a result.

Health Secretary Shona Robison last night said she had made clear to health boards she

‘Provide the NHS with investment’

expected patients to be seen quickly and is investing extra cash to try to clear the backlog.

But Scottish Conservative health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘It seems in order to get treated in a reasonable timeframe you need to be tested for something with a Scottish Government target attached.

‘It’s no wonder ministers don’t want to routinely publish these statistics. The Scottish Government has to start providing the NHS with the investment it needs to provide an acceptable level of patient care.’

In 2009, SNP ministers chose eight diagnostic tests, mainly involving spotting cancer, in which health boards have a target that patients should have to wait no longer than six weeks.

The NHS provided waiting time data on all tests which are not deemed ‘key diagnostics’ but still cover potential deadly illnesses, such as coronary heart disease.

Spirometry is a test used to diagnose and monitor certain lung conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

NHS Scotland figures show that in October 2011 a total of 1,845 people were on the waiting list for one of these tests but by September last year this had increased to 7,835.

The numbers waiting more than nine weeks for a spirometry test over this period jumped from 16 to 4,415, while those who were waiting more than four weeks for the vital diagnostic procedure rose from 16.8 per cent to 74 per cent.

A 24-hour ECG test records electrical signals from a patient’s heart over a day to monitor its rhythm and check for disease.

Across Scotland, a total of 1,090 people were on the 24-hour ECG waiting list in October 2011 and by September last year it was at 3,819. This includes 870 people who have been waiting more than nine weeks.

For heart scans – known as echocardiology tests – the waiting list steadily rose from 3,294 in October, 2011 to 8,888 in August 2016 before dropping to 5,917 the following month.

In Fife, 1,305 people were waiting for echocardiology tests in September last year – up from 367 in October 2011. NHS Fife told Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley part of the

‘Figures are unacceptable’

reason was vacancies for consultants in this specialism.

James Cant, director at British Heart Foundation Scotland, said: ‘We know outcomes for anyone suspected of having cardiovascular disease improve when they have appropriate access to a cardiology service for diagnosis.’

Scottish Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: ‘These figures are unacceptable. The SNP has created a hidden waiting list for diagnostic tests, with thousands of people waiting more than a month for a key clinical test.’

The freedom of information release show a drop in the speed in which people receive 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. A total of 3.2 per cent of patients had been waiting more than four weeks for the procedure in October 2011. By September last year, this had risen to 13.5 per cent.

Miss Robison said: ‘While these tests are not included within the six-week targets, the Scottish Government has made clear to boards that we expect patients to be seen quickly – within six weeks or shortly thereafter.

‘Demand for these tests has risen markedly in recent years. Despite this, almost double the number of patients have been seen within six weeks compared with 2011.’