This page provides information you may need while waiting for your appointment or treatment. This includes what you can expect from your Health Board and what your responsibilities are. Further information on NHS Scotland waiting times can be found on NHS Inform at https://www.nhsinform.scot/waiting-times. Alternatively, you can contact your Health Board for updates on your waiting time.
What is a reasonable offer of appointment?
You will be offered up to 2 dates of appointment for each stage of your journey. For example, if you require an outpatient appointment, you may be offered up to 2 different dates. If you then require treatment, you will be offered up to a further 2 dates. You must consider all reasonable offers of appointment made by the Health Board and make every effort to agree to these.
An offer of appointment is reasonable if:
- You are given at least 10 calendar days’ notice.
- It is at any location across NHS Scotland clinically appropriate for your needs.
- You are provided with a date to attend your appointment (not location only).
- You consent to the mode of contact used to communicate with you around your appointment offer (e.g. video, phone).
- It is offered to you before or after the 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee date.
- It is at short notice (less than 10 calendar days), and you are able to accept.
Where will my appointment be?
You will be seen and treated in your local Health Board wherever possible. However, it may not always be possible for Health Boards to provide treatment locally for all patients and services; therefore an offer of appointment could be made at any location in NHS Scotland. The options for treatment will be discussed with you in advance of your appointment.
What happens if I refuse an appointment offer?
If you refuse 2 reasonable offers of appointment, you may be removed from the waiting list and referred back to your referring clinician. If this is not deemed appropriate by a clinician, you may have your waiting time clock reset to zero, which means you will be put to the back of the waiting list.
What happens if I cancel my appointment?
If you cancel 3 agreed appointments, you may be removed from the waiting list and referred back to your referring clinician. If this is not deemed appropriate by a clinician, you may have your waiting time clock reset to zero, which means you will be put to the back of the waiting list.
What happens if I do not attend my agreed appointment?
If you do not attend an agreed appointment and have not given the Health Board notice of this, you may be removed from the waiting list and referred back to your referring clinician. If this is not deemed appropriate by a clinician, you may have your waiting time clock reset to zero, which means you will be put to the back of the waiting list.
What if I know I will be unavailable for a set time?
If you know you will be unavailable for treatment for any reason, for example planned travel, you must advise the hospital of the dates you would not be able to accept an offer of appointment. All periods of unavailability should have clear start and end dates.
Can I get help to attend my appointment?
Should you need to travel outside your local Health Board for treatment, support for travel and accommodation costs can be provided by the Health Board who refers you for treatment.
Your Health Board may also be able to provide transport to help you attend an appointment where appropriate or additional support when you arrive at your appointment.
Please speak to your local Health Board contact who can give you information on what support is available for attending your appointment.
What can I expect while I wait for treatment?
You will receive communications in a form you have agreed from the Health Board throughout your wait for treatment. This may be to check that you still wish to remain on a waiting list as part of the Health Board’s waiting list validation process. It is important that you respond promptly to any communications received from the Health Board when requested to.
If you feel that your condition worsens, you must inform your GP or referring clinician.
What should I do while I wait for treatment?
The Waiting Well Hub on NHS Inform aims to gives you information to support your health and wellbeing while waiting to see a specialist or get health and social care services.
Please visit: https://www.nhsinform.scot/waiting-well/. You can also use the NHS inform helpline, which is free to call and is open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm on 0800 22 44 88.