Health Services
More information
- Visit the 18 Weeks website for more details
- Download the 18 Weeks Information Leaflet
Waiting Times
18 Weeks - the Referral to Treatment Standard
From January 1 2008, NHS Forth Valley introduced a new way of counting waiting times for appointments and admissions to hospital. The new system was designed to ensure that
- all patients are treated fairly
- waiting times are kept as short as possible
- patients are treated within an 18 week period
It is effectively a 'clocking' system with a start time given along with a guarantee that the patient is treated within 18 weeks.
Around 5,000 people a year fail to turn up for outpatient appointments in NHS Forth Valley but this new procedure places responsibilty on people to give reasonable notice when they are unable to attend.
Hospitals will give patients reasonable notice of appointments and offer 2 alternative dates.
If a patient cancels, the waiting time will be counted from the day of cancellation.
If a patient fails to turn up without giving prior notice, the waiting time will be re-set to zero from the day they were supposed to attend.
New Ways
'New Ways of Defining and Measuring Waiting Times' has introduced a significant change in how NHSScotland collects and defines waiting times, and also how waiting lists are clinically and administratively managed.