Over 50 operations cancelled in one month because the RAH couldn’t cope
The scale of SNP mismanagement of the health service has been exposed, Jackie Baillie MSP said, as new statistics reveal the RAH in Paisley is struggling to cope with demand. Figures released by ISD Scotland reveal that 51 operations were cancelled because the RAH did not have the capacity to cope in January. The number of cancellations at the Paisley hospital doubled compared to the previous month’s figures.
At the same time, there were no operations cancelled at the Vale of Leven Hospital in January for capacity or non-clinical reasons. Jackie said the figures showed that spare capacity at the Vale could be used to ensure that more operations are carried out locally.
Jackie said: “These figures point to an SNP government that has fundamentally mismanaged our local health services for a decade. More than 50 operations cancelled because the RAH doesn’t have the capacity to cope while the Vale of Leven Hospital is not being used to its full potential.
“We should be bringing more services to the Vale of Leven Hospital instead of cancelling operations in Paisley and forcing patients to wait longer for treatment. It makes no sense to keep heaping more pressure on NHS staff at the RAH when there is plenty of spare capacity at the Vale which could be used to treat patients locally.”
There were 254 scheduled operations at the Vale of Leven Hospital in January. 0 were cancelled by the hospital for capacity and non-clinical reasons.
There were 785 scheduled operations at the RAH in January. 51 were cancelled for capacity and non-clinical reasons.
Meanwhile, one in four patients is left waiting more than four hours for attention at the RAH A&E.
MSP Baillie has called on the Scottish Government to do more to help the struggling Accident and Emergency (A&E) Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Official figures, published monthly by the Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, found that the Royal Alexandra Hospital has not met the national target of attending to 95% of A&E patients within four hours since November 2012. The latest figures show that only 75.5% of patients were seen within the 4 hour target at the RAH in the second week of March.
Scottish Labour have recently launched a commission with the aim of resolving the staffing issues that the NHS currently faces. And whilst every effort is made by staff, it is increasingly clear that they are not being given the resources to do their job.
The MSP is “extremely concerned” about the impact that these A&E responsiveness issues may have on the health of local patients, so she is urging Health Secretary Shona Robison (above right) and the Scottish Government to do more to find a solution.
She said: “The NHS is our most valued institution, but mismanagement by the SNP Government has meant that the RAH is struggling to cope with demand. The fact that targets have been missed in every month since 2012 is completely unacceptable.
“I am calling on the Scottish Government to do more to resolve the issues facing our health service, not only for the thousands of patients who rely on it every day, but also for the dedicated doctors and nurses who are overworked, under resourced and under pressure.”