Catch-up plan needed for NHS in Scotland, says Scottish Labour

Scottish Labour has called for a “real catch-up plan” for the NHS in Scotland as it claimed diagnostic waiting times north of the border are falling behind those in England.

The party said analysis of Public Health Scotland (PHS) data showed that at the end of December, 50.4% of patients in Scotland waiting for a key diagnostic test had been waiting more than six weeks.

This was far above the figure in England where it was 26.3%, according to statistics from NHS England.

The Scottish Government said comparisons with England are not statistically accurate as the definitions used in the two systems are not directly comparable.

Scottish Labour said the proportion of people waiting more than six weeks in Scotland has soared over the course of the pandemic.

The party’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said Scotland is still “falling further and further behind on the SNP’s watch”.

She added: “It is simply not right that patients in Scotland are left to suffer for weeks on end, while their neighbour across the border will be seen more quickly.

“These dire statistics make a mockery of the SNP Government’s waiting times targets, which were already in tatters long before Covid hit.

“We urgently need a real catch-up plan before these delays overwhelm our NHS. Delays in diagnosis mean delays in treatment and could cost lives.

“Scottish Labour has set out how we can get testing back on track, by investing in a catch-up programme, setting up dedicated diagnostic centres in every health board area, and making sure services have the staff they need.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The pandemic has placed our NHS under unprecedented pressure but patients continue to be seen based on clinical need. For example, those referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer are prioritised for key diagnostic tests.

“Prior to Covid-19 significant progress was being made on reducing diagnostic waits, with the number of patients waiting more than six weeks for one of the eight main diagnostics tests falling by 25% between September 2018 and February 2020.

“The Scottish Government’s £1 billion NHS Scotland Recovery Plan sets out a series of comprehensive measures to support recovery over the term of this parliament and increase diagnostic capacity.

“We have also published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal plan backed by £70 million and invested £9 million to support diagnostic imaging capacity with six mobile MRI scanners and four CT scanners across NHS Scotland.

“Priorities in 2022/23 include a further increase in mobile scanners to provide additional capacity, implementing our National Workforce Strategy with a focus on recruitment and retention and further allocations of Advancing Practice training places.”