New standards and investment to cut waiting times in NHS

Waiting times for patients will be dramatically cut by new diagnostic standards backed by £50 million investment over three years, Health Minister Andy Kerr said.
By the end of 2007 patients will wait no more than nine weeks for any MRI or CT scans and other key diagnostic tests.
Speaking at the Beatson Centre in Glasgow, Mr Kerr said:

"Top priority is always given to emergencies and clinically urgent cases where there should be no question of undue delay in diagnosis.
"But is clear that we need significantly more capacity - both in staff and equipment - to meet the needs of the NHS. This investment will deliver it.
"Today I can announce the first fruits of this initiative - a £3 million full MRI service in Forth Valley run in partnership with the independent sector.
"Overall, I expect this investment to have a major impact on cancer treatment - picking up through faster access to diagnostic tests cases where cancer is not suspected at the outset.
"We have made huge strides in improving cancer treatment in Scotland over the last four years. Nowhere has that been more startling than in the West of Scotland where the new cancer centre, the largest single direct investment in the NHS in Scotland, will be a world class centre for modern diagnosis and treatment.
"But we must ensure that we drive up standards across the country.
"At present, patients classed by clinicians as "routine" can wait up to a year or more for some diagnostic tests which will determine their treatment.
"That's simply not good enough. I know the worry and stress for these patients and their families certainly isn't routine. This investment and the new diagnostic standards will change that.
"We're including the new diagnostic standards within waiting time targets. This means patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks - including diagnostic tests - as outpatients or inpatient/daycases by the end of 2007.
"This brings clarity and certainty for patients."

The £50 million investment will cover new equipment, scanners and additional staff as well as training programmes for nurses and other health professionals to carry out key diagnostic tests.
Numbers of endoscopies carried out by specialist nurses are set to double by 2007 through service redesign and increasing the number of nurse endoscopists from 39 to 64.
The new standards apply to CT, MRI, ultrasound and barium scans as well as four procedures using an endoscope or micro camera to look inside the body: upper endoscopy, cystoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy.
Implementation of the standards will be overseen by a National Delivery Group comprising key clinicians and patients' representatives who will also advise on spending priorities for the investment.

The Health Minister signalled the Executive's intention to introduce new diagnostic targets last December in Fair to All, Personal to Each - which set out plans for additional capacity both in the NHS and the private sector and set new targets of 18 weeks for outpatient and inpatient/daycase treatment by the end of 2007. The new nine week diagnostic standards are included in these 18 week targets.
The £3 million MRI investment over five years in Forth Valley is the first project to be funded from the £50 million investment. At present Alliance Medical Limited provide a limited MRI Service three days a week using a mobile scanner. This will be replaced by a state of the art MRI scanner housed in Falkirk Royal Infirmary run in partnership with Alliance Medical providing a service for patients for five days a week. The contract will also allow use of the scanner outside normal hours by NHS Forth Valley and other Health Boards, if required.

The new Forth Valley MRI machine is expected to be up and running within six months. Costs will be shared between NHS Forth Valley and the Executive.

As part of the Executive's drive to further reduce waiting for patients, NHS Tayside has also announced its intention to work with the private sector to establish a new Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Stracathro Hospital near Brechin which will operate alongside the existing NHS DTC at the hospital.