Cole-Hamilton: Government is brushing waiting list scandal under the carpet

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today accused the Health Secretary Michael Matheson of “brushing the waiting list scandal under the carpet,” following Mr Matheson’s response to research by the Times which found that thousands of patients had been kicked off NHS waiting lists during Covid.    

Last month, The Times revealed that more than 6,000 people were removed from waiting lists during Covid. Surgeons described how NHS boards made the decision without consulting them and an orthopaedic source indicated that, “there was a feeling waiting lists were being arbitrarily manipulated by management.” Those who were originally on the waiting lists and then removed had to re-join lists, with the clock for their waits starting all over again.  

Mr Cole-Hamilton wrote to the Health Secretary on 10th July expressing his “extreme concern” about the revelations and asked how the government planned to ensure that patients who had been waiting multiple years can access treatment.  

In his reply dated 7th August, Mr Matheson made no attempt to explain why these removals were in the best interests of the patients, nor did he address concerns that waiting lists were being “manipulated.”    

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:  

“The Health Secretary’s response is deeply unsatisfying. It amounts to nothing more than a pathetic attempt to brush the scandal under the carpet.  

“One surgeon described the decision to remove patients from waiting lists as “pure manipulation,” but the Health Secretary makes absolutely no attempt to address that extremely serious accusation.  

“Some of the patients who were removed are still waiting for treatment, and reports indicate that staff failed to be consulted on how many and which patients were being removed.  

“The Scottish Government must address these concerns head-on and that is why we need an investigation which will deal specially with these revelations. Patients and staff deserve so much better than this bare-faced contempt.”