Set maximum NHS waiting times and punish boards which miss them, say Tories
The Scottish Government should set maximum waiting times for treatment in the NHS and punish health boards which make patients wait longer, the Scottish Tories have said.
The party released its own plan for helping the NHS deal with pressures this winter on Monday, as the health service stands on the brink of crisis.
A&E waiting times have repeatedly hit record levels in recent months, while three quarters of a million people currently waiting on an outpatient procedure.
But the major recommendation would see a maximum wait time for procedures put on health boards during the winter, which would be “backed by clear sanctions” on boards if they are breached.
Sanctions could include Government interventions coming more quickly through the escalation framework which is currently in use to support struggling health boards.
Multiple breaches would also trigger a ministerial statement to Parliament “to make the Health Secretary personally responsible for tackling the worst waits in our NHS”, the plan said.
“We need to see the introduction of new crisis maximum waiting times to tackle the most appalling waits,” the document said.
“These would set a floor during a particularly difficult winter period for the maximum times that patients should expect to wait for treatment.
“This would improve transparency, as it is currently the case that many of the worst waits are only available through Freedom of Information requests.
“These new maximum standards would be backed up by clear sanctions for health boards that breach them, giving our NHS a clear motivation to tackle the longest of waits.
“A ministerial statement would also be required in the event of repeated breaches in a board, to make the Health Secretary personally responsible for tackling the worst waits in our NHS.”
Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the NHS needed a “real recovery plan” as it faces “its worst-ever winter”.
“The paper we’ve published today contains a range of innovative yet practical measures that would alleviate some of the huge pressures on our health service right away,” he added.
“Despite the best efforts of dedicated frontline staff, things have only got worse since Humza Yousaf produced his flimsy recovery plan for the NHS last year.
“A&E waiting times are the worst on record, as are the levels of delayed discharge, and one in seven Scots is now on a waiting list on the watch of a failed health secretary, who deserves to be sacked.
“It’s suffering patients, and overstretched staff, who are paying the price for his mismanagement – but it doesn’t have to be like this.
“There is an alternative and that is why the Scottish Conservatives have produced these bold and detailed policies that could immediately help our NHS through this incredibly challenging winter.
“From introducing maximum waiting times, to setting up a network of winter drive-through facilities and allowing patients to see live waiting times, all these measures would improve efficiency now.”
Dr Gulhane went on to say the Health Secretary had “lost the trust of patients and staff alike”, urging the Scottish Government to adopt his party’s plans.
But a spokesman for Humza Yousaf said the Tories publishing a plan in the middle of December “shows just how out of touch they are”.
“And to produce a plan that takes no account of staffing and includes ideas which would take months to set up, again shows how disconnected from reality the Conservatives are,” the spokesman added.
“Above all else, the Tories have zero credibility when we have engaged constructively with health unions to aim to resolve pay issues in Scotland, while the UK Government is refusing to engage meaningfully with unions on pay, meaning NHS England faces major disruption this winter.