NHS in meltdown as 1 in 7 of all Scots waits for treatment
SCOTLAND’S NHS is at risk of ‘spiralling out of control’ with a record high of more than 770,000 people on waiting lists.
The number waiting for a wide range of procedures and appointments has soared by almost 225,0000 over the course of the pandemic, the latest figures reveal.
The list is the longest it has been since statistics were first recorded in their current form a decade ago, with the equivalent of 14 per cent of the population awaiting treatment.
It has sparked fresh fears for those facing lengthy waits in pain, while their conditions deteriorate even further, and for those awaiting tests to find out whether they have life-threatening conditions such as cancer.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘These numbers are truly shocking. Waiting lists are threatening to completely spiral out of control on the SNP’s watch.
‘Humza Yousaf’s flimsy NHS Recovery Plan has failed to remo
‘Numbers are truly shocking’
bilise frontline services and it is patients who are paying the price for his inaction. There are too many patients out there who are suffering while this backlog continues to grow.
‘Many of these patients will be waiting in pain and this situation cannot continue. Humza Yousaf must urgently outline a plan once and for all to fully support our NHS to tackle the backlog as quickly as possible.’
The NHS paused its routine services at the start of the pandemic and is now dealing with a growing backlog.
The latest figures show a total of 770,246 people on a range of NHS Scotland waiting lists, compared to 545,842 in December 2019.
That was for inpatient and daycase treatment, outpatient appointments, diagnostic tests, pain clinics, physiotherapy and mental health appointments.
Outpatients – who do not need to stay in hospital and are treated on the day – are the worst hit, with the waiting list lengthening from 281,857 in December 2019 to 419,230 in December 2021.
The inpatient waiting list – those who stay in hospital for at least one night for tests, treatment, or surgery – increased from 79,943 to 119,584 in the same time. The number of people waiting for diagnostic tests, including those who may have cancer, soared from 87,543 to 141,262 during the same two-year period.
That puts the waiting list for inpatients, outpatients and diagnostics at 680,076 at December 2021. In addition, there are 90,170 patients on the latest waiting list – September 2021 – for musculoskeletal clinics such as physiotherapy, chronic pain clinics and psychological therapies, bringing the total number of patients waiting for appointments and treatments to 770,246.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called for a ‘patients’ commissioner’ to act on behalf of those waiting.
He also said NHS boards should tell patients how long they may have to wait for their procedure.
Mr Cole-Hamilton added: ‘It’s clear that as we emerge from the Omicron wave, the Government needs to act. They must swiftly provide a detailed timeline and resources to clear waiting lists.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The pandemic has seen our NHS under the most severe pressure in its 74-year existence, with the ongoing impact of Covid19 adding to existing winter pressures, meaning health boards are having to make tough decisions and prioritise urgent care.’