Hidden NHS Waiting Lists

The new SNP government may speed up the abolition of Scotland's so-called hidden waiting lists.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said Availability Status Codes (ASCs) were unfair, lacked transparency, and led to people waiting for lengthy periods.

Ms Sturgeon has now set out the new administration's approach to tackling NHS waiting times in Scotland. The previous Labour-Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive had made reducing long waiting times a priority.

It brought waiting times down to within six months, though the average person waited slightly longer than previously.

The SNP had claimed that many patients were actually on hidden waiting lists and waiting times for cancer treatment remained too long.

"It's a system that has to go and I'm
determined to see it go as soon as possible "
Nicola Sturgeon, Health Secretary

Recent figures had suggested that some cancer patients waited more than two months for urgent treatment.

Ms Sturgeon claimed ASCs lacked transparency.
She told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It's a system that has to go and I'm determined to see it go as soon as possible."

The deadline for scrapping ASCs has been set for the end of this year but Ms Sturgeon said she was keen to accelerate this process.

At the last published figures, about 35,000 people were on hidden waiting lists and the health secretary has called for a phased transition to a fairer system.

"The problem with the current system is that somebody who for example cancels or asks to delay an appointment for personal reasons, like a family funeral for example, loses their guarantee for ever," she said.

"Then they have to wait exceptionally long periods of time for treatment."

Ms Sturgeon said a fully patient-focused health service was key, adding: "One that is dedicated to the needs of patients and doesn't use hidden waiting lists as a way to manipulate figures as I think previous health ministers have done."

BBC News website 20 May 2007