Health services still stretched
Health services in Ayrshire and Arran remain under extreme pressure, with patients still having to wait a long time for treatment, the area’s health board has acknowledged.
At the recent meeting of the NHS Ayrshire and Arran board it emerged outpatient appointments remain a source of concern.
As of the week beginning Monday March 27, 3,271 patients were waiting more than 12 months, with no waits in eight specialties.
The 12-week new outpatient compliance reached a 20-month high of 42 per cent in March, but remains well short of the 95 per cent target. The total waiting list for inpatients/day cases continues to gradually fall from a high of 8,577 in May 2022 to 8,002 in March.
By September, health chiefs want no patients to be waiting more than 18 months for treatment. However, as of April 15, 908 patients were waiting more than 18 months, up from 776 in December.
Compliance levels against the 109 per cent target for completed inpatient waits have been falling since January, with levels of 51.7 per cent reported in March.
The 18-week referral to treatment compliance has reduced from a six-month high of 65.9 per cent in December to 58.6 per cent in February.
This is the lowest recorded position and the first time performance has fallen below 60 per cent against a target of 90 per cent. On a positive note, cases of Covid are in decline, with 38 patients positive as of Tuesday May 2.
More good news comes with the total number of patients waiting for a new outpatient appointment falling from a high of 45,156 last September to 43,479 in March, although there has been a slight increase between February and March.