Seòmar agus comataidhean

Under agenda item 3, we are considering two instruments, on which no points have been raised.

Is the committee content with the instruments?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you for everything so far; it has been extremely interesting.

Linked in with a number of the elements that you have talked about are, obviously, waiting times and waiting lists. Exhibits 4 and 5 on pages 21 and 22 of the report show that waiting times and waiting lists for planned care have increased and continue to grow, as has been said. They show that 5,458 people—3.4 per cent—have been waiting for more than a year for a diagnostic test or investigation. The report refers to limited progress in tackling that backlog of care and the increase in waiting times and waiting lists. Have we any evidence of people starting to look beyond the NHS for their healthcare? I ask that because we have all seen, on television, people saying that they are going to eastern Europe, or even further away, to get treatment more quickly.

Thank you for that. There are some interesting points there.

I will go off on a minor tangent, but it is still linked. Patients are removed from the waiting list when they have attended their appointment or have been admitted for treatment; they are not on the list any more. If the treatment is no longer required for a patient for whatever reason, you would imagine, hopefully, that they are not on the list any more. Is there any data for the number of patients who have been removed from waiting lists due to no longer requiring treatment? Are there any trends that can be identified there?

It does; right, okay. Thank you very much for that.

The impacts of increased waiting times on people’s physical and mental wellbeing are highlighted in evidence that patients are presenting for care in a worse condition than prior to the pandemic. The report states that longer waiting times are impacting on people’s health and wellbeing, with patients presenting for care in a frailer and more acute condition and with more complex needs. Are assessments being made of the impact of current waiting times on the health and wellbeing of patients prior to their attendance in hospital or wherever?

That is really helpful; thank you very much for that.

Does that essentially mean that you cannot do just one or the other? You have to build them into a longer-term programme.

Thank you very much for that.

Right. Are figures being produced on that?

Paragraph 111 on page 37 of the report highlights the Scottish Government’s short to medium-term strategy to mitigate the domestic supply of staff through international recruitment, and that £1 million is being provided to each board to help to identify international staff who can complete the training. You mention three boards that have recruited internationally. However, the report also notes that

“NHS Highland found the process time-consuming and expensive”.

Does that strategy represent a suitable option for future NHS workforce growth?