Briggs: SNP are failing their own patient treatment guarantee in Lothian
- Since the introduction of the 12-week legal waiting time guarantee for treatment, the number of patients waiting more than 12 weeks has increased thirteenfold across Scotland.
- In NHS Lothian the number of patients waiting over the 12 week waiting times guarantee has risen by 1,623 patients compared to Q1 five years ago. This is an increase of 16.9%.
- The legal waiting time guarantee is enshrined in the Patient Rights Act 2011 that was introduced by Nicola Sturgeon as Health Secretary. This is that patients should not wait more than 12 weeks to receive treatment after treatment has been agreed.
- Sturgeon has been focused on securing a second independence referendum instead of giving the NHS the leadership it needs. The SNP Government needs to admit that it has let down patients and get back to the day job of supporting overworked doctors and nurses to reduce waiting times.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Health Spokesman, said: “This is more evidence of the SNP’s shambolic stewardship of the NHS.
“No-one’s pretending running the health service is easy, but we’ve had several years of decline across several areas, and no meaningful explanation. Staff, visitors and families are fed up with this mess, and exasperated by the SNP’s increasingly pathetic list of excuses.
“The SNP is quickly proving itself to be utterly unfit to run Scotland’s health service. In contrast, the Scottish Conservatives are continuing to work hard alongside patients, NHS staff and clinicians to develop policies which will make sure our NHS is sustainable and fit for purpose.”
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