Chamber and committees

Waiting list information prior to 1 January 2008 was collected by a census undertaken on the last day of each month and published quarterly. The information requested is provided in the following table.

Unlike the previous system where patients who had an availability status code applied could have exceedingly long waits - in some cases of over 12 months - all patients will be covered by the maximum waiting time standard under the new ways of defining and measuring waiting times which came into effect on 1 January 2008. Patients who held an availability status code on 31 December 2007 will receive their first out-patient consultation within 18 weeks, from 1 January 2008, provided they are available. If they are unavailable their case will be reviewed regularly until they can be seen or until a decision is made to return them to the care of their GP.

NHSscotland: Out-Patient Waiting Lists By Board of Treatment: Number of Patients^* Waiting Over 18 Weeks

Board of Treatment	31 October 2007	30 November 2007	31 December 2007
Ayrshire and Arran	84	18	0
Borders	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	4	8	0
Fife	255	165	0
Forth Valley	389	224	0
Grampian	2,419	1,472	0
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	781	392	0
Highland	693	237	0
Lanarkshire	981	526	0
Lothian	1,680	468	0
Orkney	31	7	0
Shetland	38	13	0
Tayside	625	344	0
Western Isles	16	4	0
NHSScotland	7,996	3,878	0

Source: Outpatient Waiting List Census, ISD Scotland.

Note: ^*Excludes patients with an availability status code.

The guidance issued to NHSScotland on new ways of defining and measuring waiting times states that for those patients who experience a period of unavailability for social or medical reasons and no end date has been indicated, their case should be reviewed at least every 13 weeks. The waiting time clock is stopped during periods of unavailability.

I refer the member to answer to question S3W-9324 on 25 February 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

New ways of defining and measuring waiting times came into effect for patients on or added to waiting lists from 1 January 2008. Patients will have their waiting time clock stopped when they are unavailable for social or medical reasons. Such cases will be reviewed regularly by hospitals. It is intended that information on the number of patients with periods of unavailability will be published by ISD Scotland. Information for the first three months of 2008 will be available publicly at the end of May 2008. Information about periods of unavailability has not been published before.

Information is not available centrally.

New ways of defining and measuring waiting times came into effect on 1 January 2008. I have made clear that this system will be open and transparent and much more information will be published. It is planned to publish the number of patients referred back to the care of their GP, along with other information not previously available. Information under New Ways will be published for the first time at the end of May 2008 covering the three months to 31 March 2008.

As the member knows, a situation was recently brought to my attention in NHS Tayside where a small number of patients had been removed from a hospital waiting list for reasons not provided for in the published guidance. However, this was not related to the 18-week target. I took action at once to ensure that the patients in question were reinstated on the waiting list and the patients were informed. All NHS boards have provided assurances that any removal of patients from the waiting list is being carried out in line with published guidance. I have re-emphasised the importance of boards adhering to the guidance at all times.

Yes, subject to published guidance on management of waiting lists. This can be viewed at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/files/New-Ways-Applying-Guidance-V3.pdf.

The new approach to managing waiting lists provides that patients who are not available for either medical or social reasons for treatment, at the point when need for treatment is agreed should not be added to the waiting list until their period of unavailability ends. However, it is open to clinical staff nevertheless to add such patients to the list “ for example, if the period of unavailability is clearly temporary. Their records will by flagged as unavailable.

Where a patient is added to the list and subsequently becomes unavailable for any reason the patient will be retained on the waiting list with their record noted as unavailable. These patients will be kept under review at least every 13 weeks. Alternatively, if clinically appropriate, patients who become unavailable after they have been added to the waiting list may be returned to the care of their GP. The guidance makes clear that a patient who is unavailable should be kept on the waiting list where, for example, the period of unavailability is of known duration.

Under the system of reporting of waiting times up to 31 December 2007, information on the transfer of patients from a waiting list in one NHS board to another board''s list was not collected centrally. However, under the new system of defining and measuring waiting times which came into effect for patients on or added to waiting lists on 1 January 2008, information will be available on the number of patients transferred between waiting lists in different board areas.

We expect NHS boards to ensure that all patients are seen and treated within current waiting time standards. If boards encounter temporary difficulties in doing so, they may arrange treatment in another board area to ensure patients continue to receive swift access to care. We would expect patients to participate in any decision to arrange treatment in another board area.

This information is not held centrally. The planning and provision of NHS Speech and Language therapy services is for NHS boards to determine based on local priorities.

Four of the fourteen NHS boards do not offer a fetal anomaly scan at 18 to 20 weeks as a matter of routine. The Scottish Government is, however, working closely with boards to develop the pregnancy screening programme with the aim of introducing a universal programme of care to pregnant women right across the country. The introduction of fetal anomaly scans however has significant implications for the health service in terms of resources, workforce, equipment and training.

A Pregnancy Screening Policy Implementation Group has already started work and we are hoping to advise boards of resource allocation and likely timescales for introduction and roll out of the amendments to the pregnancy screening programme in the spring.