Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal seven year long wait for NHS treatment

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today pressed the new Health Secretary to get a grip as he revealed that a current patient in Dumfries & Galloway has waited almost five years for treatment, while a patient in Ayrshire & Arran had to wait almost seven years for treatment.

Freedom of information requests filed by Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal waits of several years in almost every health board.

The health board where a current patient on a waiting list has been waiting for treatment the longest is Dumfries & Galloway (1763 days), followed by Highland (1533) and Ayrshire & Arran (1379).

The health board where a patient endured the longest wait to start treatment in the last five years was Ayrshire & Arran (2523 days), followed by Dumfries & Galloway (2022) and Tayside (1705).

Ayrshire & Arran also reported that 80 patients have been waiting more than three years.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“I was shocked to uncover patients waiting almost seven years for treatment.  

“Each of these cases is going to be dependent on individual circumstances but the idea that you could be waiting for more than half a decade before your medical needs are met is unbearably tough.

“From meeting with doctors and nurses I know that it saddens them to tell patients that they could be facing waits of months or even years to get treatment under this SNP/Green Government.

“With 1 in 7 Scots on a waiting list, it is incumbent that the new Health Secretary gets a grip on the situation and takes action to drive down long waits.

“We need a massive expansion of training places, fresh measures to stop the exodus of experienced staff and an NHS Staff Assembly which puts the knowledge of those who know the service best at the heart of how we rebuild our health care system.”