Waiting times
We provided guidance to NHS boards to ensure all patients who are waiting for an appointment, diagnostic test or treatment are managed fairly and consistently across Scotland and that planned care waiting times are minimised to ensure the best outcomes for patients.
Planned care means healthcare that is not urgent. It covers routine treatments, procedures, or consultations that are scheduled in advance, such as joint replacements, clinic visits, and diagnostic scans.
Planned care waiting times standards
NHS Scotland has 3 waiting times standards for planned care which represent different stages during the patient journey:
- 95% of new outpatients should receive an outpatient appointment within 12 weeks
- 100% of patients should receive their treatment within 12 weeks
- patients should receive any of the following key diagnostic tests or investigations within 6 weeks:
- Upper endoscopy
- Lower endoscopy (excluding colonoscopy)
- Colonoscopy
- Cytoscopy
- CT scan
- MRI scan
- Barium Studies
- Non-obstetric ultrasound
NHS Scotland uses waiting time standards to help:
- reduce patient anxiety
- improve the quality of life of patients
- improve the clinical outcomes
- improve the timeliness of treatment
Not included in planned care standards
NHS Scotland has separate waiting times standards for other NHS services where patients may experience a wait for their appointment or treatment. These standards include:
- Accident and Emergency waiting times
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) waiting times
- cancer waiting times
- drug and alcohol treatment waiting times
- early access to antenatal services
- IVF waiting times
- psychological therapies waiting times
More information
More information on NHS performance against LDP standards is available
National Treatment Centre programme
The National Treatment Centre (NTC) programme is an investment by the Scottish Government to support a national network of purpose-built healthcare facilities across Scotland for planned and diagnostic care.
More information
More information about waiting times is on the NHS Inform website.
Contacts
Waiting Times Policy: waitingtimespolicy@gov.scot