NHS Fife performing well on waiting times
New snapshot figures show that almost all patients in Fife are waiting less than nine weeks for inpatient and day case treatment.
- By Bruce Fegen
- Published in the Courier : 01.09.10
- Published online : 01.09.10 @ 04.43pm
Figures published on Tuesday by ISD Scotland show that at the end of June there were 2155 people on the waiting list. Of these just five had been waiting for more than nine weeks and none longer than the national standard of 12 weeks.
Throughout Scotland 99.8% of patients were seen within nine weeks.
NHS Fife also performed very well against the national standard of 12 weeks for seeing new outpatients, with just two of the 9814 on the waiting list as of June 30 waiting more than that time.
Once again the figure across Scotland was 99.8%, as was the percentage of patients receiving one of the eight key diagnostic tests within four weeks, with no one waiting more than six weeks.
However, NHS Fife narrowly failed to meet the national target of seeing 98% of patients attending accident and emergency within four hours, with 314 of the 7832 people attending in June waiting for longer.
That was a success rate of 96% — across Scotland it was 97.5%.
The region's health authority exceeded the target of first treating 95% of new cancer patients within 62 days of referral. Only seven of the 175 patients referred waited longer — a success rate of 96.2%. The Scottish average was 96.5%.
NHS Fife said that, as in previous years, it had continued to reduce waiting times for patients, met the new 62-day cancer target and progressed well in reducing audiology waiting times.
Similarly it has continued to reduce waiting times for diagnostic tests, with no patients waiting over four weeks for any of the eight key tests.
NHS Fife director of clinical delivery Andrea Wilson said, "Patients are experiencing shorter waiting times.
"The vast majority of our patients are waiting for nine weeks or less for a first outpatient appointment and nine weeks or less from being listed for treatment to receiving that treatment.
"Thanks to the commitment and hard work of staff NHS Fife is on track to deliver the 18-week referral to treatment standard by 2011."
Photo used under a Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user mynameisharsha.
Add a comment