NHS waiting times remain high in lockdown backlog

There is a backlog of patients around Scotland following the lockdown in the spring

The number of patients treated within 18 weeks of referral has fallen by more than half compared with the same time last year, figures show.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) data from September shows fewer than 30,000 patients were seen within 18 weeks, down from about 73,000 a year ago.

However, the figure has been growing since July.

The Scottish government said NHS services were now being resumed with a focus on those who needed urgent care.

Health boards were asked to suspend all non-urgent elective treatment in mid-March as the NHS was put on an "emergency footing" to cope with the pandemic.

It has led to a backlog of patients awaiting treatment in Scotland.

The latest PHS figures cover the three months until the end of September 2020. The statistics cover all health boards apart from NHS Borders, NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian, which have been unable to provide figures.

The figures show that the number of people waiting more than six weeks for key tests to diagnose conditions including cancer is three times higher than the same time last year, rising from 15,509 to 47,968.

However, this figure has also been falling from a high of 66,726 at the end of May this year.

Scottish Labour said the waiting times for conditions such as cancer were "unacceptable" and risked a "tidal wave of future health problems".

The party's health and social care spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, said: "SNP ministers have been warned for months to bring in routine testing for all healthcare workers and put measures in place to maintain Covid-safe spaces in our hospitals.

"Scotland is facing a tidal wave of health problems and the SNP government must urgently start giving our NHS the support it needs in order to prevent unnecessary deaths and chronic illness."

The Scottish government said its "guiding principle" during the pandemic had been to keep as many people safe as possible.

A spokesperson said: "Services are now being resumed, with a focus on patients who need urgent care, including cancer treatment, to ensure they are treated as quickly and safely as possible.

"To support this, the health secretary published a Clinical Prioritisation Framework last week to help boards prioritise care for those patients with the greatest need."

More than 4,500 outpatients have now been seen at NHS Louisa Jordan, with a wider range of non-Covid healthcare being considered at the temporary hospital in Glasgow, the spokesperson added.