NHS Scotland chief in apology to patients for treatment delays
The head of the Scottish NHS has apologised to patients who have waited longer than they should to be treated.
Paul Gray was responding to an Audit Scotland report which found health boards have failed to meet seven out of eight key targets.
The NHS Scotland chief executive made the apology during an appearance before Holyrood’s Health Committee, where he told MSPs that while the health budget had increased, he did not think it was unreasonable to ask boards to make efficiency savings.
Convener Neil Findlay said almost every witness that has appeared before the committee has raised issues about cuts to services.
The Labour MSP asked Mr Gray: “The only people that I hear of who are saying there are no cuts to services are senior managers in the NHS, and if we have the highest level of investment as has been stated in the NHS, would you regard this report as a glowing endorsement of the management of that record investment?”
Mr Findlay added: “What comment do you have to those patients who have been waiting longer for treatment than they should because seven out of those eight targets have been missed?”
Mr Gray said he is “not after glowing endorsements” and added that he accepts the recommendations of the “balanced” report.
He told the committee: ” I apologise to patients who wait longer than they should, I have done so in the past. I regard it as appropriate and proper that I should do so.
“It is not what we seek that patients should wait longer than the targets that we have set, but if I may say on the eight targets we are, as far as I can determine and I have done some research, the only country in the world that tries to meet all eight of these targets.”
He welcomed a national review of targets and indicators in the NHS being led by former chief medical officer Sir Harry Burns, adding: “In the meantime if we’re not achieving what we said we would achieve then I apologise to those who have not been seen within the time.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said progress against the targets should be viewed in the context of increasing funding but also rising demand.
She said: “If you look at outpatient demands, for example, increasing over the years, despite those huge increases in demands… most people are still being treated within the 12 weeks target for a first outpatient consultation. Also in terms of inpatient waits, 91.2% of inpatients were treated within the 12-week treatment time guarantee for quarter two of this year.
“That isn’t good enough, we want everybody to be treated quickly, but I think it’s important to make the point that the vast majority of patients are still treated quickly within the NHS.
“What we need to do is to make sure through our transformation programme we improve that performance in a sustainable way.”
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