One hundred new local health centres and a new Total Waiting Time Guarantee will allow people across Scotland to benefit from faster diagnosis and treatment close to where they live, under plans announced today by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Speaking as he visited a hi-tech diagnostics training centre in Aberdeen today, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen said:

“Scottish Liberal Democrats will invest in 100 new local health centres and introduce a new Total Waiting Time Guarantee.

“For communities across Scotland this will mean excellent new local health facilities, with 2000 extra nurses to staff them. These local health centres will have new equipment and more facilities.

“Far more diagnostic tests should be carried out quickly and locally. This would cut waiting times, meaning that the consultant sees a patient for the first time armed with the test results needed to start treatment more quickly. Rather than travelling to a big hospital, more x-rays, scans and endoscopy tests can be carried out locally in new health centres.

“In some cases earlier diagnosis in the community will put people’s minds at rest, ruling out the need for further tests at a major hospital. In others it will help doctors to start treating serious problems sooner.

“This new approach will help us to cut waiting times for patients across Scotland. We will introduce a new Total Waiting Time Guarantee. It will set a maximum wait for patients from the first time they contact the NHS to receiving the diagnosis and treatment they need.”