Patients in West Lothian have some of the longest waits for outpatient appointments in Scotland.
New figures show NHS Lothian has the worst record for outpatient waiting times in the country.
The data, from Public Health Scotland, shows that at December 31, 2020, 18,986 people were waiting over 39 weeks to be seen and 7549 were waiting more than 52 weeks.
This means 28.8 per cent of people waited over 39 weeks, the highest across Scotland.
By comparison, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - Scotland’s largest health board, reported 8.4 per cent of people waiting over 39 weeks (7980).
The Scottish Government’s Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG) seeks to ensure all eligible patients should wait no longer than 12 weeks for treatment as an inpatient or day case.
The report said that in Scotland during the quarter ending 31 December 2020, 45,564 patients were admitted for treatment. This represents an increase of 19.9 per cent (7562) from the quarter ending September 2020 as services continue to resume during the pandemic.
But while the number of patients being seen is on the rise, the total activity for the latest quarter was 34.1 per cent (23,623) lower than the same quarter in 2019.
Jacquie Campbell, chief officer, acute services, NHS Lothian said: “As we continue to respond to the Covid pandemic, our focus remains on scheduling the most clinically urgent appointments in a way that ensures we can safely manage capacity and balance risk for our patients.
“In line with the initial national response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a large volume of routine appointments were postponed. In addition, to comply with infection prevention and control guidance alongside Covid measures, and to protect our patients and staff we have been unable to schedule as many appointments as we would typically expect to do.
“Together this has unfortunately resulted in extended waits for some of our patients. Across all of our services, however, staff are working incredibly hard to increase appointments and reduce waiting times.”
Conservative Lothians MSP Miles Briggs said “chronic underfunding” had made the situation within the NHS Lothian health board worse.
He continued: “Every health board in Scotland has been significantly impacted by Covid-19, but none more than NHS Lothian.
“Consecutive years of chronic underfunding for NHS Lothian, by SNP Ministers, has meant that the health boards was the least prepared for Covid-19, with lengthening waiting times pre-Covid-19.
“A recovery plan to restore performance targets will be important across Scotland, but especially for NHS Lothian and the formula for funding health boards needs urgently reviewed.
“It is time for NHS Lothian to receive their fair share of funding, so that patients in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s don’t have to suffer exceptionally long waiting times for treatments.”
Labour Lothians MSP Neil Findlay said NHS Lothian waiting times had been long before the pandemic but they were now “soaring”.
He continued: “Patients are supposed to have a 12 week treatment time guarantee enshrined in law but last year we see almost 20,000 patients waiting over 39 weeks and 7500 waiting more than a year.
“These are people who are often being left in pain and distress with all that means for their health and well being. The SNP Government’s treatment time guarantee is not worth the paper it is written on, they are letting patients down.
“Ministers must step up to the mark and invest in our NHS to end this misery.”
SNP MSP Angela Constance added: “For the past year our NHS has mostly operated on emergency footing to deal with the pandemic, the biggest challenge of our time.
“This has had an impact on outpatient treatment which will undoubtedly have been difficult and distressing for those waiting on treatment or consultations.
“As we now look to life beyond lockdown plans are in pace to increasingly remobilise services in a safe way.
“Nonetheless it is for NHS Lothian to explain their performance and how it differs from other health boards in other parts of the country. The Scottish Government continues to make record investments in health services and I will continue to represent constituents facing difficulties.”
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