How accurate are NHS waiting list times in Scotland?

[PinkPonyAnonymous]

I’m wondering it anyone has experience with nhs waiting lists. I’ve been given a letter that says I’m on the gynaecology waiting list. It quotes the standard list as being about 2 years wait and the emergency as being a little under a year (with some caveats about the statistic). I’m unsure which I’m on, but I wondered how accurate others have found these wait times?

I have healed badly from giving birth and it’s having a significant impact on my daily life but I’m in no danger so wouldn’t call it an emergency. The thought of another year like this is kind of devastating, let alone two…

Ive been seen twice by gyne in Scotland in last 6 months- referred in october. I think it depends on symptoms.

We have had a bad run recently.

A family member is on waiting list for long term knee issues now severe enough she has had her employment terminated. Has been waiting a year, and been told it will be 2 years.

Another is on waiting list for cardiology after an enlarged heart was found on a CT scan. She is only early 30s, young family, struggling to walk more than 500m without being breathless and is scared, been waiting 3 months so far. Also worried about her job.

Son’s gf has regular episodes with a very high heart rate and has been blacking out. Was eventually referred after 6 months of GP messing her around , seen by cardiology and diagnosed after a further 4 months.

It is all very concerning.

I just waited 38 weeks to see Orthopaedics for my knee. Fife.

Friend in Glasgow diagnosed with breast cancer last month . Surgery not until June .

Was referred to a pelvic physiotherapist. Took 6 weeks for them to ring and ask which waiting list I’d like to go on as there were two hospitals within 20 minutes. Asked how long I’d have to wait. She said at least a year.

Mum was quoted 18 months to 2 years for a hip replacement.

is there any way you can afford private? An initial consultation is usually £150-£200.

I was told 18 months for gynae in Forth Valley. I had an appointment in 6 months. Referral to gynae physio took about 6 weeks after that.

Brother in law waited a year between diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer by which time it had spread to other organs and he died. My husband was diagnosed last spring and we hit our life savings and went privately after the experience with his brother. Unfortunately DH still has symptoms and needs an urgent PSMA scan which had to be NHS as you can’t get it privately in Scotland. Referred back to NHS 5 weeks ago. Chased last week and told the NHS consultant urologist had no record of it. Shambles is too polite a word for it.

That’s appalling - truly appalling.

Shambles is a good word. Far less serious than a slow cancer diagnosis- the NHS is still sending me letters at least twice a year telling me to have a smear, even though my cervix was removed 10 years ago.

He waited a year for cancer treatment! Even by the standards of the NHS in Scotland that’s appalling. I’m so sorry to hear this.
I hope their MSP is involved and questions are being asked of the health secretary to explain this. That is absolutely not ok in a country as wealthy as ours. And yet people are going to vote for School bags and iPads for kids being prioritised for spending over cancer treatment. I’m not surprised your husband went private

Gosh, I am so sorry to hear about the impact of these long waits.

I first went to my gp after a private physio found the problem. The first GP basically told me to go private for physio because there was no hope. I’m thinking I’ll investigate private options as the gp didn’t even give a definitive diagnosis and I’m worried it could be worse than she thought.

I was a week short of 3 years for dermatology. When I joined the list it was 93 weeks. I’m now on allergy testing waiting lists and they believed 18 weeks when they added me. NHS Lothian have a good week waiting list thing.

https://www.nhslothian.scot/yourrights/health-rights-waiting-times/nhs-lothian-outpatient-waiting-times/

Waited exactly a year for an urgent orthopaedic appointment. Told I need 2 knee replacements and I’m now on the urgent list for that surgery. I’ve been told it’s likely to be another year.

My pain, severely reduced mobility, lack of sleep and loss of independence etc pales into insignificance reading of people waiting many months for cancer investigations and treatment. It’s appalling 😡

I’d phone the medical secretary team for your speciality and ask what waiting list you are on and what the current waiting time is. It’s the only way to be accurate. Also say if you are happy to go on a cancellation list for a last minute appointment.

At least then you’ll have the information to decide whether to go private or wait.

18 months to get a polyp removed from
my cervix, although they had assured me it wasn’t a concern.

I then had to travel to a different town an hour’s travel away

An initial Gynaecology appointment was about 4-6 months for me, surgery would have been within 6 months of that. Was then referred on to Specialist gynae service in Glasgow. Initial appointment 4months from referral and surgery then approx 15 months waiting list. I think it varies across health boards and what area of Gynaecology. I hope its nowhere near as long as 2 years for you.

I think it really is a postcode lottery. Where are you? I’m Lothian and was seen within 3 months for a gynae appt in late 2024.

Urgent. Took 6 months.

That's awful. Is it possible to go to a private hospital in England or abroad?

Im so sorry for the long waits that some people are reporting. My brother had prostate cancer which was quickly and successfully treated by NHS Lothian. A recent check showed a recurrence and spread into another area. Within 3 weeks he’s had 2 scans and a treatment plan in place. Other family members are receiving world class care for ongoing illnesses. We have nothing but praise for our excellent GP service and local hospitals.

I find it pretty horrific how many consultants can't see you for years unless you have a few thousand down the back of the sofa and then they can see you on Monday. Not sure how they live with themselves.

My gynae appointment recently took just under 2 years. The surgeon told me waiting times have recently improved though so maybe you won’t have as long a wait.

What do you expect that consultant to do though? If I were a medic I’d do some private work. It would help pay the bills without taking from the state (the unaffordable pay demands are a large part of the reason why the SNHS is in the shit), and it must be so depressing to tell people every day they have to live in pain for years. I’d need the light relief of being able to diagnose someone and treat them with in weeks not years.

Are you saying that all the private work consultants do doesn't contribute to the shortage of consultant time for NHS patients?

That’s correct. It doesn’t. A consultant doesn’t define how many NHS clinics they will run, the NHS trust decides that. If a consultant has 3 clinics a week in the NHS and 2 private ones, it’s because the trust has set that number. Running clinics needs support staff and space. If every consultant decided they would like to run 5 clinics a week, a trust wouldn’t be able to support that. The trust will look at patients, and resources and decide who is allocated the space.

Consultants running private clinics, particularly within the NHS is a benefit. It reduces patient load, and they pay the NHS for space and resource.

A few years back, my husband had an issue with his elbow that was problematic but not urgent. His consultant was part private and under NHS guidance couldn’t offer surgery quickly, it would have had to get much worse, would have needed a bigger surgery, and would have been years down the line. He offered to do the surgery privately, for a relatively low fee, funded by the NHS. As a result, the problem was solved, my husband didn’t need regular treatment to manage the issue, and the 3 monthly situation when things got out of hand and the GP sent him to A&E because he needed IV antibiotics hasn’t happened since.

In our Trust, private surgical consultants often use NHS theatres to do surgeries. These are paid for by the private healthcare company and use theaters which aren’t allocated because the trust can’t afford to staff them. That’s a benefit to all patients.