Endoscopy action plan

Introduction

Our approach to health and social care is rooted in the right of people to have safe, effective and person-centred healthcare. Ensuring that we all have continuing and improved access to high quality care is our guiding principle.

Our £850 million Waiting Times Improvement Plan (WTIP) published in October 2018 sets out actions to ensure future delivery of waiting time standards and guarantee for patients across Scotland by the Spring of 2021.

It provides a significant investment, directing £535 million of resource funding as well as £320 million of capital funding over the next two years. Overall investment will support reforms to increase capacity, increase clinical effectiveness and efficiency, as well as implementing new models of care.

The Improvement Plan will make a phased, decisive improvement in the experience of patients waiting to be seen or treated:

• By October 2019
  • 80% of outpatients will wait less than 12 weeks to be seen;
  • 75% of inpatient/daycases (eligible under the treatment time guarantee) will wait less than 12 weeks to be treated; and
  • 95% of patients for cancer treatment will continue to be treated within the 31-day standard.
• By October 2020
  • 85% of outpatients will wait less than 12 weeks to be seen; and
  • 85% of inpatient/daycases will wait less than 12 weeks to be treated.
• By Spring 2021
  • 95% of outpatients will wait less than 12 weeks to be seen;
  • 100% of inpatient/daycases will wait less than 12 weeks to be treated; and
  • 95% of patients for cancer treatment will be treated within the 62-day waiting time standard.

Access to diagnostics is pivotal to achievement of the Improvement Plan. In recognition of this the Endoscopy Action Plan (EAP), initially announced in June 2018, has been refined to support the commitments set out in the WTIP. This revised EAP sets out our plan for sustainable endoscopy services across NHSScotland and will ensure that the most urgent patients receive access to diagnostics swiftly.