Health boards and the Scottish Government failed to heed early warning signs of problems with managing patient waiting lists, the auditor general for Scotland has told MSPs.
Audit Scotland was asked to scrutinise NHS boards’ management of waiting lists and treatment time targets following the scandal at NHS Lothian in 2011.
The health board manipulated waiting time codes, marking patients unavailable for “social reasons,” such as failing to get time off work or being on holiday.
Audit Scotland’s report found problems across the country in the way patient waiting times targets are approached by health boards.
It also said its work was hampered by a lack of information and because of inadequately controlled management systems.
Committee convener Iain Gray asked Ms Gardner: “Is it your view that there was information available to which either the NHS boards or the Scottish Government turned a blind eye, or they failed to notice?”
She replied: “It is true that information was available…on the increase in use of social unavailability codes during that period.
“That information should have rung warning bells both for the health boards and for the Scottish Government.
“It wasn’t acted upon and it could have helped to avoid some of the concerns that have been raised since then.”