Meeting of the Parliament 14 January 2015
That just emphasises the point.
There is a scandal at the centre of this targets business. I do not mind the fact that the accident and emergency waiting time target has been reduced from 98 per cent to 95 per cent. That was quite a sensible move, as the target of 98 per cent was going to be too demanding. However, the scandal is the Scottish National Party’s Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 legal guarantee, which has been breached every month since its introduction—and breaches of it are on a rising trend. Having a target is one thing, but it is complete and utter nonsense to have a target that is a legal guarantee if it is not going to be met.