A patient waited seven years before receiving specialist treatment, recently unveiled NHS figures have revealed.
And currently, one patient in the Dumfries and Galloway area has been waiting almost five years.
A FOI request by the Scottish Lib Dems revealed almost every health board that responded admitted they had patients who have currently waited years for treatment.
Despite the assurances given by First Minister Humza Yousaf when he was health secretary that people would not be waiting more than two years by September 2022, most health boards have patients exceeding this target.
In Dumfries & Galloway, the longest a patient is currently waiting is 1763 days – that’s four years, 10 months and three days.
In Highland there is also a four years plus wait for at least one patient who has been waiting 1533 days. In Ayrshire & Arran the longest wait is 1379, Fife is 1156 and Shetland 975.
Of all the health boards who responded, just Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Western Isles and Tayside – but only by 10 days – have no one waiting more than two years.
Five health boards also provided information on the numbers who were currently waiting more than three years, with only Shetland having a single case. In Ayrshire and Arran, 80 people have been waiting that long, Dumfries & Galloway have 49, Borders 23 and Fife “between five and 30”.
But three health boards – Lothian, Grampian and Forth Valley – refused to provide figures so the true picture could be worse.
And in the last five years in NHS Ayrshire & Arran a patient waited 2523 days before getting an appointment – just 32 days short of seven years.
In Dumfries and Galloway, one patient waited 2022 days – almost six and a half years – while in Tayside it was 1705 days, Highland 1624, Borders 1325, and Fife 1302. Last night Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “I was shocked to uncover patients waiting almost seven years for treatment.
“With one in seven Scots on a waiting list, it is incumbent that the new Health Secretary gets a grip on the situation and takes action to drive down long waits.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We’re committed to eradicating long waits, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Our NHS has recently seen activity for new outpatients, inpatient and daycases reach its highest level since COVID-19.
“In addition, there has been as significant reduction in the longest waits since targets were announced last July, with 80 per cent of outpatient specialities and 60 per cent of inpatient/day-case specialities now having fewer than 10 patients waiting more than two years, and waits of over 78 weeks reduced by 48.5 per cent for new outpatients since June 2022.
“Through maximising capacity and redesigning services of care we will continue to address long waits, with National Treatment Centres providing significant additional capacity for orthopaedics, ophthalmic and diagnostic activity.”
• Have you waited more than three years for a hospital appointment or treatment? Contact the Daily Record at reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk
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