Fife patients face waits of more than a year for surgery amid unprecedented demand on the region’s health service.
Health chiefs warn an increasing number of people will wait 12 months or more for operations in orthopaedics, urology and general surgery.
And there are also lengthy waits for appointments in other specialities, including cardiology, gynaecology and neurology.
NHS Fife has been focusing on urgent cases since January following a huge rise in hospital admissions due to Covid, flu and other seasonal illnesses.
Staff absence is also high, with almost 8% of workers off sick and mental health cited as one of the main reasons.
And the extra pressure has left bosses dealing with a £22.6 million overspend.
North East Fife Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: “This report sends a shiver down my spine.
“The waits for treatment are long but there is next to no hope they will be shorter anytime soon,” he said.
“It’s clear the staff are feeling the burden of this hefty challenge with very high absence rates.
“It’s a signal of an organisation under incredible strain.”
Not possible to do any additional activity
New figures presented to the NHS Fife board on Tuesday paint a concerning picture.
Fife is one of Scotland’s better-performing boards and is treating more people within the target time than the Scottish average.
However, only 45.8% of Fife patients receive their first outpatient appointment within 12 weeks of referral.
And just half are treated within 12 weeks of a decision to treat – 13% fewer than a year ago.
The waiting list is now 50% higher than in December 2021.
Board members were told: “It has not been possible to undertake any additional activity given the level of funding received.
“Core inpatient surgery capacity continues to be restricted at Victoria Hospital due to sustained pressures in unscheduled care, staff absence and vacancies.
“The focus remains on urgent and cancer inpatients and long-waiting day cases at Queen Margaret Hospital.”
Decisions to postpone procedures ‘not taken likely’
Claire Dobson, NHS Fife’s director of acute services, said elective surgery was reduced but had not ceased at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
And she added: “Pocedures scheduled at Queen Margaret Hospital have continued without any notable disruption.
“The decision to postpone any procedure is not one which is ever taken lightly, and those at greatest clinical need continue to be prioritised to be seen first.”
Health service recovering from ‘greatest challenge in its history’
The Scottish Government said it was continuing to prioritise funding for frontline services.
An extra £730 million was ploughed into the NHS in 2023-24.
This took funding for NHS Fife to more than £790m – an increase of almost 84% since 2006-07.
A spokesperson said: “As the health service recovers from the greatest challenge in its history following the global pandemic, we continue to work with NHS boards to maximise capacity and reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment.”
Four new national treatment centres are due to open this year.
These include an orthopaedics centre in Kirkcaldy, which opened last week.
The spokesperson said it, along with others for ophthalmology and diagnostics, would provide significant additional capacity.
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