Moray MP Douglas Ross has voiced his “deep concerns” over “shocking and shameful” waits being experienced by patients in the NHS Grampian area who are waiting for key diagnostic tests.
Freedom of Information Requests from the Scottish Conservatives have revealed that one NHS Grampian patient had to wait almost five years before undergoing a CT scan in 2022.
They waited 258 weeks to undergo the scan, while another patient in the health board waited 255 weeks for a MRI Scan. The FOI request also revealed that another patient waited 107 weeks for a non-obstetric ultrasound in NHS Grampian, the longest wait for that test in any health board.
Douglas says that the figures are “scarcely believable” and are only putting patients lives at risk as they have to suffer increasingly long waits in relation to the eight key diagnostic tests that Public Health Scotland publish data on.
He says the blame lies with successive SNP health secretaries failures on workforce planning and that the current occupant of the role Humza Yousaf has done nothing to address these delays since he has been in post.
Douglas added that these delays are occurring through no fault of truly dedicated staff working across NHS Grampian, who are being badly let down by a lack of leadership from Humza Yousaf.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “These figures are shocking and shameful. My thoughts are with long-suffering patients who have had to wait this scarcely believable amount of time to undergo one of these crucial diagnostic tests.
“We know that these tests are potentially life-saving so they should be taking place as quickly as possible. These findings are deeply concerning and are putting patients lives on the line in NHS Grampian.
“That is no fault of our truly dedicated staff in NHS Grampian who are working tirelessly to support suffering patients, but are continuing to be let down by SNP health secretary Humza Yousaf and his flimsy recovery plan for our NHS. That plan which is now well over a year old, has failed to remobilise frontline services like cancer services.
“However, these plans stretch well before the pandemic so the SNP cannot hide behind Covid as an excuse, given patients have been waiting years for tests in our health board.
“This exposes deep-rooted issues at the heart of our health board and how SNP ministers have underfunded NHS Grampian for far too long.
“Frankly, there is a ticking timebomb in our NHS when it comes to these diagnostic tests and the buck stops with Humza Yousaf. Nothing he has done since being in post as health secretary has improved the situation for patients in this area.
“He has failed as health secretary and should be sacked by Nicola Sturgeon immediately.”