Page last updated: 26-AUG-2008

National Standards

 

The Scottish Government have set national waiting times standards for the maximum time that patients should have to wait for NHS services in Scotland. These are summarised below:

Hospital Inpatient or Day Case Treatment

  • From the 31st December 2007; No patient waiting for treatment as an inpatient or day case will wait longer than 18 weeks, reducing to 15 weeks from 31 March 2009.

New Outpatient Appointments

  • From the 31st December 2007; No patient should wait longer than 18 weeks for a new outpatient appointment at a consultant-led clinic following referral from a General Medical Practitioner / General Dental Practitioner, reducing to 15 weeks from 31 March 2009.

Key Diagnostic Tests

  • From the 31st December 2007; patients will wait no more than nine weeks for any of the 8 key diagnostic tests, reducing to six weeks from 31 March 2009.

Referral To Treatment

  • The national maximum waiting time for the whole journey from general practitioner referral to treatment will be 18 weeks from 31 December 2011.

Coronary Heart Disease

  • No patient will wait more than 16 weeks from GP referral, through a rapid access chest pain clinic or equivalent, to cardiac intervention thereafter, from 31 December 2007.
  • No patient will wait more than 16 weeks for treatment after they have been seen as an outpatient by a heart specialist and the specialist has recommended treatment, from 31 December 2007.

Cancer

  • The national maximum waiting time for cancer treatment following an urgent referral, will be 2 months, from 31 December 2005.

Cataract Surgery

  • From the 31st December 2007, the maximum wait from referral by a GP or optometrist to Cataract Surgery will be 18 weeks.

Trauma & Orthopaedics (Hip Fracture)

  • From the 31st December 2007, all orthopaedic departments handling trauma cases will comply with the 24-hour surgery target for Hip Fracture cases, unless there are documented clinical reasons relating to the patient's condition that make this undesirable.

Accident and Emergency

  • From the 31st December 2007;  patients in Accident and Emergency Units (including Community Casualty Units or areas of Assessment Units where trolleys are used) will wait no longer than 4 hours between arriving at a Unit and admission, discharge or transfer, unless there are stated clinical reasons for keeping the patient in the Unit.

Primary Care

  • Anyone contacting their GP practice should have guaranteed access to a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional within 48 hours from 31 March 2004.