Cash will help with Ayrshire waiting times
ALMOST £7 million will be pumped into reducing NHS waiting times in Ayrshire.
The cash will be used to introduced an 18 week maximum referral to treatment guarantee for patients.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon unveiled details of the £270 million Scotland wide cash boost this week.
And MSP Adam Ingram insists that it will put the needs of patients at the centre of the NHS.
He said: “Patients and their families tell me that access to swift and safe treatment remains a key issue for them.
“That is why the Scottish Government are putting a waiting time guarantee at the heart of the Patients Rights Bill.
“This will provide assurances in what can be a time of anxiety, worry and stress for many patients.”
Ms Sturgeon also announced further proposals for public consultation as part of the bill.
These include a planned 12 week waiting time guarantee for surgery.
The Patients Rights Bill consultation was launched earlier this year and runs until January 16.
The Scottish Government has committed to introducing the bill by 2010.
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