– in the Scottish Parliament at on 18 January 2018.
3. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards meeting waiting times targets in NHS Grampian. (S5O-01666)
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with colleagues in NHS Grampian every day to monitor the extent of winter pressures and to ensure that capacity is managed so that the board continues to deliver safe and effective care to support improvements on all key performance targets.
NHS Grampian has received more than £8 million this year to improve all parts of the patient pathway, including out-patient consultation, diagnostic tests, and in-patient and day-case treatment. A number of initiatives are already under way to support sustainable improvements, including additional theatre sessions being delivered for a range of specialties. We have allocated more than £1.3 million to NHS Grampian to support resilience across unscheduled care pathways over winter.
Last year, I raised the case of a Moray constituent who had been waiting for heart surgery in the NHS Grampian region. Thankfully, my constituent’s surgery was scheduled for this week, which is 16 months after the original general practitioner referral. I am sure that the cabinet secretary will join me in wishing him well.
Figures show that more than 2,000 people per month are still waiting too long for treatment in NHS Grampian, which has a knock-on effect on island health boards that send patients to NHS Grampian for treatment. Will the cabinet secretary assure members that she will continue to assist NHS Grampian to improve waiting times and to ensure that no one else has to wait that long for treatment?
I wish Jamie Halcro Johnston’s constituent a speedy recovery from his procedure.
We are working closely with NHS Grampian and all boards to make the improvements that need to be made, which is against the backdrop of increasing demand for services. However, we are putting in record levels of resources and the forthcoming budget has a further big increase in funding for the national health service, all of which will help to make improvements to the treatment and care of patients.
In addition, the member will be aware that we launched a new elective access collaborative programme that is being taken forward by Professor Derek Bell. The programme will make similar improvements to those that have been made in unscheduled care, leading to Scotland’s accident and emergency departments being the best performing in the United Kingdom for two and a half years. That was through a collaborative programme, which is now being replicated for elective care. It will make a big difference.
We are making investments and also reforms so that we can ensure that patients get timely access to treatment.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that the failure of NHS Grampian to meet treatment standards is not because of the efforts of NHS staff, who continue to go above and beyond, but is the responsibility of the cabinet secretary and the Scottish Government, which has failed to adequately staff our wards and to give the resources and support that our NHS staff need?
Like other boards, NHS Grampian has been trying to recruit staff. The funding is there, but the board has had difficulties in recruiting staff such as, for example, theatre nurses. I do not know what Anas Sarwar thinks can be done if the money is there for the post but, when the board goes out and tries to recruit, it has difficulty recruiting.
The shortage in some specialties is not just a Scottish or UK issue but an international one. However, NHS Grampian is working hard to ensure that it continues to deliver safe patient care and make the improvements that it is trying to provide.
I will end on this note, though: it is a bit rich for Anas Sarwar to come here demanding additional resources for the NHS when his party is not proposing additional resources for the NHS in the budget. That is not his party’s priority for the budget, as was laid out very clearly yesterday. It does seem a bit rich to come here demanding more money when his party’s budget proposals, such as they are, do not prioritise the NHS at all. Does not Mr Sarwar think that that is a bit rich?