Waiting lists for Dumfries and Galloway hospital appointments branded 'devastating'
Waiting lists for hospital appointments in Dumfries and Galloway have been branded 'devastating'.
New figures show that the number of waits for outpatient appointments have hit a record high
And Public Health Scotland has noted the increase over the past 12 months is the largest amongst Scotland's health boards.
South Scotland Labour MSP, Colin Smyth, said: 'Once again our region has been singled out on a national scale for all the wrong reasons.
'These figures are devastating for our area, exposing the abject failure of the Scottish Government's handling of the NHS.
'We were promised that waiting times would reduce yet these damning figures show how hollow those promises were.
'On John Swinney's watch, the number of patients left waiting for outpatient appointments in Dumfries and Galloway has spiralled.
'No one with a referral should forced to wait so long in pain – yet that is the grim reality for more than thousands of people in our region.
'Our health and care staff across Dumfries and Galloway are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible standard of care, but they simply cannot keep up as there just aren't enough of them.
'These waiting times also have a knock on effect as those who are waiting are forced back to their GP again and again. Serious changes must be made.'
At the end of March, there were 559,742 waits across Scotland – down from 560,456 the previous month.
In Dumfries and Galloway, the waiting list stood at 13,718 – the highest figure on record and up from 13,364 in February.
In March 2024, 10,813 waits were recorded.
The Public Health Scotland report notes: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway shows the biggest percentage increase in ongoing waits at 26.9 per cent.
'NHS Dumfries and Galloway have reported that the rise in ongoing waits relates to staffing issues across multiple services, including ophthalmology and pain management.'
The Scottish Government has set a target that 95 per cent of patients should be seen within 12 weeks.
In Dumfries and Galloway, 48.4 per cent were seen within that time frame – an improvement on the February figure of 45.7. The national figure was 41.4 per cent.
The figures reveal 175 waits had lasted for more than a year and 14 had lasted more than two years.
The inpatient waiting list stood at 5,192 at the end of March, down from 5,314 at the end of February. The March 2024 figure was 5,059.
Just 31.1 per cent of patients were seen within 12 weeks, with 763 waits lasting more than one year and 10 more than two years.
A healthboard spokesman said: 'NHS Dumfries and Galloway acknowledges the concern around the recent increase in waiting list numbers. This reflects a complex situation, including rising demand and the demographic challenges of a rural region with an ageing population.
'The figures refer specifically to first outpatient appointments with a doctor, and do not include follow-ups or care delivered by other healthcare professionals. In some cases, speciality waits are influenced by national scheduling availability, not local services alone.
'Despite these challenges, NHS Dumfries and Galloway continues to perform well, with one of the lowest numbers of people waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment.
'A key target for NHS boards is to ensure that no one waits more than 52 weeks for an outpatient or inpatient appointment. We work towards that while prioritising those in need of urgent care, seeking to expand clinical capacity and developing new models of care to reduce waiting times wherever possible.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson added: 'It is encouraging and indeed a testament to our hardworking NHS staff that the statistics published this week are showing improvements in some outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient/day case waiting-times performance metrics.
'Our 2025-26 budget provides record funding of £21 billion for health and social care – with NHS boards receiving an additional £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge.
'NHS boards have exceeded the commitment to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures in 2024-25, funded through our £30 million investment, with boards reporting delivery of 105,500 appointments and procedures.'
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