To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times were for patients requiring acute procedures in cardiothoratic surgery in each year since 2000-01 in (a) NHS Fife, (b) NHS Forth Valley and (c) NHS Tayside.
The information requested is incorporated in the following table. The summary measure used is the median, whereby 50% of patients had waited a shorter time and 50% a longer time. This is more appropriate than using the average which could be distorted by a small number of very long waits.
It should be noted that patients who are excluded from the guarantee are included in the calculation of the median as it is not currently possible to exclude all these patients from a retrospective analysis and their inclusion will increase the median. Reasons why patients may lose their guarantee include the following: failing to attend; cancelling a previously agreed appointment; being medically unfit for treatment; being socially unavailable for treatment or where the planned treatment is judged to be of low clinical priority or very highly specialised.
Area of Residence | Specialty | Median Wait (Days) |
2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
Fife | All Acute Medical Specialties | 22 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 22 |
Cardiology | 14 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 20 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 48 | 27 | 22 | 25 | 30 |
Clinical Oncology | 13 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 13 |
Dermatology | x | x | x | x | x |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 96 | 43 | 54 | 50 | 65 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | x | x | x | x | x |
Gastroenterology | 32 | 25 | 32 | 33 | 32 |
Geriatric Medicine | 5* | 1* | x | 1* | 1* |
Gynaecology | 47 | 36 | 32 | 43 | 42 |
Haematology | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Infectious Diseases | x | x | x | x | 1* |
Medical Oncology | 13 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Neurosurgery | 30 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 38 |
Ophthalmology | 107 | 106 | 89 | 85 | 76 |
Oral Surgery | 61 | 60 | 66 | 84 | 70 |
Paediatric Surgery | 103 | 95 | 87 | 106 | 90 |
Paediatrics | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Palliative Medicine | x | 1* | 1* | 1* | 1* |
Plastic Surgery | 104 | 69 | 103 | 86 | 76 |
Renal Medicine | 21 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 6* |
Respiratory Medicine | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
Rheumatology | 1* | 1* | x | x | 1* |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 89 | 84 | 81 | 96 | 148 |
Urology | 51 | 44 | 55 | 56 | 57 |
Forth Valley | All Acute Medical Specialties | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 11 |
Cardiology | 14 | 15 | 14 | 26 | 22 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 42 | 32 | 25 | 30 | 44 |
Clinical Oncology | x | x | 8* | 9 | 10 |
Dermatology | x | x | x | x | x |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 23 | 27 | 39 | 45 | 46 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | x | 18* | 19* | 21* | 11* |
Gastroenterology | 33 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 41 |
Geriatric Medicine | 7 | 1 | 1 | x | x |
Gynaecology | 26 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 46 |
Haematology | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
Infectious Diseases | x | 1* | x | x | x |
Medical Oncology | x | 21* | 12* | 10 | 6 |
Neurosurgery | 22 | 43 | 40 | 36 | 41 |
Ophthalmology | 91 | 91 | 128 | 139 | 148 |
Oral Surgery | 53 | 34 | 41 | 46 | 65 |
Paediatric Surgery | 74 | 72 | 72 | 89 | 75 |
Paediatrics | 2 | 7* | 4* | 3 | 2* |
Plastic Surgery | 28 | 22 | 39 | 56 | 51 |
Renal Medicine | 14 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Respiratory Medicine | 17* | 15 | 16* | 21* | 16* |
Rheumatology | 7 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 9 |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 121 | 117 | 135 | 171 | 174 |
Urology | 40 | 42 | 32 | 42 | 44 |
Tayside | All Acute Medical Specialties | 27 | 27 | 33 | 35 | 32 |
Cardiology | 31 | 28 | 34 | 31 | 32 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 43 | 25 | 45 | 40 | 45 |
Clinical Oncology | 14 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
Dermatology | 25* | 26* | 22* | 24* | 31* |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 70 | 62 | 52 | 47 | 61 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | x | x | x | x | x |
Gastroenterology | 34 | 33 | 40 | 43 | 37 |
Geriatric Medicine | x | x | x | 7* | 7* |
Gynaecology | 26 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 15 |
Haematology | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Infectious Diseases | 12* | x | x | x | x |
Medical Oncology | 13 | 13* | 11* | 10* | 17* |
Neurosurgery | 42 | 38 | 31 | 29 | 43 |
Ophthalmology | 66 | 81 | 79 | 100 | 97 |
Oral Surgery | 10 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 13 |
Paediatric Surgery | 76 | 104 | 126 | 89 | 51 |
Paediatrics | 16 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 31 |
Palliative Medicine | x | x | x | x | x |
Plastic Surgery | 63 | 50 | 55 | 69 | 92 |
Renal Medicine | 14* | 14 | 20 | 14 | 21 |
Respiratory Medicine | 10 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 7 |
Rheumatology | x | x | x | x | x |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 71 | 76 | 90 | 97 | 103 |
Urology | 44 | 40 | 41 | 40 | 42 |
Notes:
1. Figures denoted by an x are not shown as the number of discharge records is very small (less than 15) and the presentation of the median is potentially misleading.
2. Figures appended with an * should be treated with caution as they are derived from a possible unrepresentatively small number of discharges (greater than 14 but less than 50).
Background Information:
In-patient/day case waiting times are derived from the Scottish In-patient and Day Case Record (SMR01). The SMR01 collects information on each discharge from in-patient / day case care.
Only acute specialties (those specialties primarily concerned in the surgical, medical and dental sectors) are included in SMR01 returns.
Due to the transactional nature of central databases, i.e., records are continually being added, information relating to the most recent period should be regarded as provisional and could be subject to minor future change.
The in-patient/day case information in the table is based on a subset of SMR01 records. This subset incorporates only those patients who were routinely admitted from the waiting list from home. This subset includes patients who are excluded from the guarantee (eg patients who are unavailable for treatment). It is not currently possible to exclude these records from analysis of in-patient/day case waiting times. The waiting time is defined as the difference in days from the date the decision was made that the patient should be admitted (the "waiting list date") to the actual date of admission.
Acute medical specialties have been defined as cardiology, clinical chemistry, clinical genetics, communicable diseases, dermatology, endocrinology and diabetes, gastroenterology, general medicine, genito-urinary medicine, haematology, homoeopathy, medical oncology, medical paediatrics, nephrology, neurology, occupational health, palliative medicine, rehabilitation medicine, respiratory medicine and rheumatology.
Data for Glasgow Dental Hospital and School have been excluded due to system errors in the derivation of waiting times. ISD is working with GDH to correct these data.
An analogous table incorporating the total number of discharges on which the above table is based and the statistical medians is shown in the table. Also included are comparative figures or NHSScotland.
HBR | SPEC | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
Area of Residence | Specialty | Discharges | Median Wait (days) | Discharges | Median Wait (days) | Discharges | Median Wait (days) | Discharges | Median Wait (days) | Discharges | Median Wait (days) |
NHSScotland | All Acute Medical Specialties | 78,703 | 24 | 71,492 | 22 | 70,276 | 21 | 70,420 | 25 | 60,700 | 25 |
Cardiology | 11,345 | 30 | 11,210 | 33 | 12,360 | 32 | 13,124 | 38 | 12,410 | 41 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 4,921 | 31 | 4,636 | 26 | 4,898 | 21 | 4,917 | 28 | 4,251 | 31 |
Clinical Oncology | 1,452 | 8 | 1,186 | 7 | 1,730 | 7 | 3,293 | 6 | 3,202 | 6 |
Dermatology | 2,066 | 29 | 1,148 | 28 | 710 | 37 | 707 | 35 | 451 | 37 |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 23,625 | 42 | 21,657 | 41 | 22,604 | 46 | 23,571 | 51 | 20,799 | 55 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | 421 | 15 | 750 | 21 | 675 | 32 | 580 | 33 | 533 | 30 |
Gastroenterology | 24,634 | 33 | 18,850 | 33 | 16,306 | 34 | 19,285 | 36 | 16,546 | 36 |
Genito-Urinary Medicine | 2 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | | 0 | |
Geriatric Medicine | 478 | 5 | 454 | 3 | 466 | 2 | 319 | 5 | 234 | 5 |
Gynaecology | 43,040 | 23 | 40,570 | 20 | 39,424 | 20 | 40,220 | 24 | 31,586 | 26 |
Haematology | 3,643 | 7 | 3,668 | 7 | 4,293 | 8 | 4,375 | 6 | 4,199 | 3 |
Infectious Diseases | 350 | 3 | 808 | 3 | 363 | 2 | 170 | 4 | 122 | 1 |
Medical Oncology | 1,343 | 9 | 1,861 | 7 | 2,002 | 7 | 2,159 | 6 | 1,864 | 6 |
Neurosurgery | 2,479 | 28 | 2,210 | 36 | 2,515 | 36 | 2,879 | 37 | 2,228 | 41 |
Ophthalmology | 26,903 | 85 | 27,328 | 91 | 25,342 | 81 | 29,396 | 111 | 25,783 | 107 |
Oral Surgery | 12,510 | 26 | 11,761 | 25 | 9,420 | 35 | 9,273 | 48 | 7,154 | 53 |
Paediatric Surgery | 4,960 | 78 | 4,578 | 72 | 4,456 | 63 | 4,758 | 85 | 3,835 | 86 |
Paediatrics | 1,997 | 7 | 1,918 | 7 | 2,363 | 7 | 2,576 | 9 | 2,038 | 11 |
Palliative Medicine | 30 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 86 | 1 | 71 | 1 |
Plastic Surgery | 15,343 | 32 | 13,840 | 28 | 11,728 | 35 | 12,599 | 46 | 11,148 | 43 |
Renal Medicine | 1,046 | 10 | 1,073 | 9 | 1,206 | 7 | 1,076 | 8 | 855 | 8 |
Respiratory Medicine | 3,102 | 7 | 3,403 | 7 | 3,883 | 7 | 3,726 | 8 | 3,266 | 7 |
Rheumatology | 1,439 | 7 | 1,597 | 8 | 1,946 | 8 | 1,921 | 8 | 2,894 | 7 |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 32,767 | 76 | 31,010 | 78 | 31,000 | 92 | 36,640 | 108 | 32,251 | 124 |
Urology | 38,290 | 37 | 33,112 | 39 | 28,906 | 41 | 33,659 | 49 | 24,652 | 46 |
Fife | All Acute Medical Specialties | 6,023 | 22 | 5,768 | 16 | 5,799 | 17 | 5,640 | 22 | 5,016 | 22 |
Cardiology | 713 | 14 | 701 | 15 | 852 | 16 | 750 | 21 | 770 | 20 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 301 | 48 | 264 | 27 | 280 | 22 | 264 | 25 | 211 | 30 |
Clinical Oncology | 187 | 13 | 167 | 13 | 140 | 9 | 140 | 8 | 94 | 13 |
Dermatology | 9 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 1,812 | 96 | 1,297 | 43 | 1,487 | 54 | 1,320 | 50 | 1,522 | 65 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | 13 | 21 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 13 |
Gastroenterology | 3,631 | 32 | 3,227 | 25 | 3,116 | 32 | 3,335 | 33 | 3,010 | 32 |
Geriatric Medicine | 33 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
Gynaecology | 2,863 | 47 | 2,540 | 36 | 2,569 | 32 | 2,613 | 43 | 2,143 | 42 |
Haematology | 222 | 1 | 270 | 1 | 265 | 1 | 304 | 3 | 253 | 3 |
Infectious Diseases | 5 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 1 |
Medical Oncology | 63 | 13 | 88 | 7 | 111 | 9 | 108 | 10 | 89 | 10 |
Neurosurgery | 202 | 30 | 213 | 36 | 292 | 38 | 288 | 37 | 231 | 38 |
Ophthalmology | 1,627 | 107 | 1,725 | 106 | 1,766 | 89 | 2,156 | 85 | 1,795 | 76 |
Oral Surgery | 1,501 | 61 | 1,464 | 60 | 1,366 | 66 | 1,568 | 84 | 1,258 | 70 |
Paediatric Surgery | 326 | 103 | 259 | 95 | 242 | 87 | 343 | 106 | 247 | 90 |
Paediatrics | 129 | 1 | 161 | 1 | 223 | 1 | 238 | 1 | 267 | 1 |
Palliative Medicine | 11 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 34 | 1 |
Plastic Surgery | 1,038 | 104 | 742 | 69 | 709 | 103 | 873 | 86 | 761 | 76 |
Renal Medicine | 75 | 21 | 128 | 8 | 64 | 10 | 120 | 6 | 46 | 6 |
Respiratory Medicine | 387 | 2 | 417 | 5 | 418 | 4 | 344 | 6 | 264 | 6 |
Rheumatology | 21 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 1 |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 3,020 | 89 | 2,917 | 84 | 2,899 | 81 | 3,272 | 96 | 2,433 | 148 |
Urology | 3,038 | 51 | 2,854 | 44 | 1,944 | 55 | 2,267 | 56 | 1,248 | 57 |
Forth Valley | All Acute Medical Specialties | 4,087 | 14 | 4,260 | 15 | 4,360 | 14 | 1,478 | 15 | 1,158 | 11 |
Cardiology | 741 | 14 | 656 | 15 | 722 | 14 | 513 | 26 | 396 | 22 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 237 | 42 | 209 | 32 | 206 | 25 | 153 | 30 | 151 | 44 |
Clinical Oncology | 10 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 37 | 8 | 172 | 9 | 184 | 10 |
Dermatology | 4 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 54 | 6 | 18 |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 1,212 | 23 | 998 | 27 | 1,108 | 39 | 1,229 | 45 | 1,115 | 46 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | 13 | 9 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 15 | 11 |
Gastroenterology | 188 | 33 | 156 | 31 | 75 | 30 | 91 | 31 | 87 | 41 |
Geriatric Medicine | 160 | 7 | 117 | 1 | 152 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 19 |
Gynaecology | 2,505 | 26 | 2,349 | 27 | 2,085 | 26 | 1,851 | 30 | 1,566 | 46 |
Haematology | 241 | 7 | 225 | 7 | 255 | 5 | 216 | 7 | 131 | 3 |
Infectious Diseases | 3 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | | 0 | |
Medical Oncology | 13 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 27 | 12 | 74 | 10 | 90 | 6 |
Neurosurgery | 90 | 22 | 107 | 43 | 129 | 40 | 149 | 36 | 118 | 41 |
Ophthalmology | 1,388 | 91 | 1,508 | 91 | 1,474 | 128 | 1,835 | 139 | 1,650 | 148 |
Oral Surgery | 778 | 53 | 711 | 34 | 682 | 41 | 744 | 46 | 540 | 65 |
Paediatric Surgery | 99 | 74 | 110 | 72 | 133 | 72 | 109 | 89 | 93 | 75 |
Paediatrics | 55 | 2 | 34 | 7 | 45 | 4 | 57 | 3 | 45 | 2 |
Plastic Surgery | 348 | 28 | 363 | 22 | 382 | 39 | 380 | 56 | 298 | 51 |
Renal Medicine | 64 | 14 | 76 | 15 | 101 | 8 | 83 | 8 | 58 | 7 |
Respiratory Medicine | 43 | 17 | 50 | 15 | 36 | 16 | 43 | 21 | 37 | 16 |
Rheumatology | 316 | 7 | 308 | 8 | 334 | 4 | 185 | 10 | 180 | 9 |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 1,950 | 121 | 1,759 | 117 | 1,789 | 135 | 2,039 | 171 | 1,621 | 174 |
Urology | 2,226 | 40 | 2,649 | 42 | 2,299 | 32 | 2,446 | 42 | 1,873 | 44 |
Tayside | All Acute Medical Specialties | 6,240 | 27 | 5,219 | 27 | 5,135 | 33 | 5,871 | 35 | 4,178 | 32 |
Cardiology | 948 | 31 | 923 | 28 | 878 | 34 | 1,104 | 31 | 986 | 32 |
Cardiothoracic Surgery | 352 | 43 | 281 | 25 | 262 | 45 | 320 | 40 | 285 | 45 |
Clinical Oncology | 233 | 14 | 109 | 17 | 122 | 12 | 108 | 11 | 142 | 13 |
Dermatology | 24 | 25 | 15 | 26 | 33 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 18 | 31 |
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) | 1,551 | 70 | 1,437 | 62 | 1,416 | 52 | 1,446 | 47 | 1,423 | 61 |
Endocrinology and Diabetes | 0 | | 1 | 26 | 1 | 33 | 0 | | 1 | 77 |
Gastroenterology | 2,091 | 34 | 1,724 | 33 | 1,518 | 40 | 2,106 | 43 | 1,769 | 37 |
Geriatric Medicine | 0 | | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 7 |
Gynaecology | 3,240 | 26 | 2,754 | 19 | 2,810 | 21 | 3,118 | 21 | 2,102 | 15 |
Haematology | 78 | 3 | 74 | 2 | 118 | 2 | 68 | 1 | 58 | 1 |
Infectious Diseases | 30 | 12 | 7 | 139 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
Medical Oncology | 121 | 13 | 33 | 13 | 40 | 11 | 35 | 10 | 42 | 17 |
Neurosurgery | 301 | 42 | 280 | 38 | 297 | 31 | 329 | 29 | 333 | 43 |
Ophthalmology | 3,134 | 66 | 2,567 | 81 | 2,618 | 79 | 2,896 | 100 | 2,946 | 97 |
Oral Surgery | 1406 | 10 | 1,250 | 14 | 1,190 | 20 | 1,071 | 19 | 711 | 13 |
Paediatric Surgery | 438 | 76 | 448 | 104 | 452 | 126 | 479 | 89 | 294 | 51 |
Paediatrics | 110 | 16 | 82 | 16 | 90 | 20 | 96 | 21 | 107 | 31 |
Palliative Medicine | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 1 | 28 |
Plastic Surgery | 2,361 | 63 | 1,709 | 50 | 795 | 55 | 941 | 69 | 842 | 92 |
Renal Medicine | 25 | 14 | 54 | 14 | 54 | 20 | 66 | 14 | 53 | 21 |
Respiratory Medicine | 210 | 10 | 225 | 6 | 242 | 14 | 235 | 12 | 169 | 7 |
Rheumatology | 8 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 14 |
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery | 3,137 | 71 | 2,815 | 76 | 2,668 | 90 | 3,192 | 97 | 2,374 | 103 |
Urology | 3,501 | 44 | 1,686 | 40 | 1,581 | 41 | 1,650 | 40 | 1,228 | 42 |