Decision Report 201606524

Summary

Mr C complained about a delay in receiving a respiratory out-patient appointment. He waited 33 weeks in total for an appointment, when the board are targeted to provide first out-patient appointments for the majority of patients within 12 weeks of referral. The board confirmed that they were presently unable to see all patients in a timely manner, but said they were taking steps to try to reduce waiting times. They noted that the appointment Mr C eventually received was for an additional Sunday clinic that was set up to deal with long waits. We considered that Mr C's wait was excessive so we upheld his complaint. We noted that the board had apologised to him for his wait but that he subsequently waited a further two months for an appointment. We also considered that a further apology reflecting the full extent of his wait was appropriate. We also asked the board to provide us with further details of the steps they were taking to reduce waiting times and try to meet the 12-week target.

Recommendations

What we asked the organisation to do in this case:

• Apologise to Mr C for the length of time he had to wait. This apology should comply with SPSO guidelines on making an apology, available at www.spso.org.uk/leaflets-and-guidance.

What we said should change to put things right in future:

• Take steps to reduce waiting times and work towards meeting the 12-week target for respiratory out-patient appointments.

We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations we have made on this case by the deadline we set.