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Article: Scandal of the hidden waiting lists.
- Article from:
- The Mail on Sunday (London, England)
- Article date:
- May 21, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: MARK AITKEN
MORE than 1,000 youngsters are languishing on 'hidden' hospital waiting lists as health chiefs cut beds in children's wards.
Bed numbers at Scotland's three children's hospitals - the Royal Hospitals for Sick Children in Glasgow and Edinburgh and the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital - were cut by 14.5 per cent between 1997 and 2005, from 517 to 442.
Meanwhile, the number of children in need of treatment and not given a target admission time has reached 1,075.
These children have been given availability status codes (ASCs), which means they face waits of six months or more for treatment as doctors cannot guarantee ...