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SNP to end 'hidden waiting lists' | |
(about 15 hours later) | |
Scotland's so-called hidden waiting lists for NHS patients will end in January 2008, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has announced. | |
She said the new system would ensure all patients received treatment within waiting time guarantees. | |
Availability Status Codes mean patients are not guaranteed treatment within a certain timescale. | |
Labour health spokeswoman Margaret Curran said the Scottish Government's move was based on her party's plans. | |
She also disputed claims that ASCs, applied to about 35,000 patients by March 2006, were "hidden", arguing that the figures were regularly published. | |
Waiting guarantee | |
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said the system was unfair to patients and designed to keep them in the dark. | |
She added: "It fails to treat patients as partners in their own care with a right to know about their own treatment. And it completely undermines confidence in the NHS." | |
The health secretary said patients would no longer be excluded from waiting time guarantees because their treatment was considered either of low clinical priority or too highly specialised. | |
She said who become unavailable for treatment will no longer lose their waiting time guarantee and will instead have their period of unavailability taken into account. | |
Patients who currently could lose their waiting time guarantee for cancelling an appointment will instead be given two opportunities to rearrange appointments. |