By Steve Bargeton, political editor

SCOTTISH MINISTERS yesterday paid tribute to NHS staff in Scotland as hospital treatment waiting times hit an all-time low.

The latest figures yesterday show falls in both in-patient and out-patient waiting times.

On December 31 a new waiting times standard came into force, requiring that no patient should wait more than 18 weeks.

Over the last three months of 2007, some 11,000 people who had been waiting longer than 18 weeks for outpatient treatment were treated before the end of year deadline. The number waiting longer than 18 weeks for inpatient treatment was also zero by the end of December.

The total number of people on waiting lists for a new outpatient appointment was 204,659 at the end of the year, down by 34,000 on September.

In-patient or day-case numbers were 66,813 at the end of December, down by 5600 compared with September and down 26,000 against December 2006.

Other figures released yesterday showed hospital accident and emergency departments had a 98% compliance rate with a four-hour target for admission, discharge or transfer.

Cancer treatment waiting times were also improving, with a 91.6% compliance rate for treatment within 62 days, up 4% on the previous quarter.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon described the statistics as a “tremendous achievement” by NHS Scotland staff.

“Fewer people are waiting and waiting times for access to hospital care are now at their lowest ever level,” she said. “Hidden waiting lists have been consigned to history. This is very good news for patients who now benefit from a more transparent system, improved access and reduced waiting times.

“We will continue to work with the NHS to drive down waiting times further. We are committed to a ‘whole journey’ maximum waiting time of 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment, to be delivered from 31 December 2011.

“As a stepping stone towards this I have set maximum waiting time targets of 15 weeks for outpatient consultations, six weeks for diagnostic tests and 15 weeks for hospital inpatient and day case treatment, to be achieved from 31 March 2009.”

Labour’s public health spokesman Dr Richard Simpson also paid tribute to NHS staff.

“Labour set tough waiting times targets for the NHS in Scotland and thanks to the efforts of the hard-working staff and the investment by Labour in government, these targets have been largely met,” he said.

“However, it is concerning that the number of patients on the waiting list for all diagnostic tests, which had reduced by 16,000 in the last nine months of the Labour administration, has risen by 3434 between September 2007 and December 2007.”

Tory health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said, “I firmly believe we could be talking about an even better situation if the SNP reconsidered their refusal to form future partnerships with the independent health sector.

“It is nothing less than political ideology getting in the way of patient care. Nicola Sturgeon fails to understand the role of the independent sector.”

Labour health spokeswoman Margaret Curran said it was “inappropriate” of the administration to suggest every outpatient had already been seen in the 18-week time limit when this clearly was not the case.

She said, “The SNP say no patient waited over 18 weeks at the most recent census date but the figures published today indicate only 85.7% have been seen.

“This is an important qualification as we have to wait and see if these patients are seen within the waiting times target. Surely it is not appropriate to imply all these patients have been seen if in fact they are still waiting.”

In Tayside, 91.5% of outpatients are seen within 26 weeks and 81.2% within 18 weeks. New targets for all outpatients to be seen with 18 weeks came into force at the end of December.

Professor Stewart Forsyth, medical director of NHS Tayside’s single delivery unit, said, “We are pleased we have achieved our waiting times targets. This is due in no small part to the efforts of our staff across Tayside.”