A HEALTH board has allegedly fallen below multiple national standards of healthcare.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), which covers Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, is said to be failing on nine of the 19 national health standards, which are set by the Scottish Government to ensure a consistency of care across the country.

Scottish national standards dictate 95 per cent of suspected cancer patients should begin treatment within 62 days. Latest figures show just 85 per cent of patients in NHSGGC centres started treatment within the target, down from 87.1 per cent in the previous quarter.

Likewise, health boards are expected to start 90 per cent of young people requiring specialist mental health treatment within 18 weeks of referral. At present, only 71 per cent of referrals were dealt with in that timeframe at NHSGGC centres.

West of Scotland MSP Neil Bibby has called for promises to be delivered.

He said: “We know our doctors, nurses and NHS staff do a terrific job, but if we are going to give people the standard of care they deserve, we need the Scottish Government to pay for it.

“Like most people, my experience of the NHS is first class. But we must constantly be striving for better. We need to fund our NHS properly.”

It is claimed NHSGGC is failing on a further seven standards, with 18-week referral to treatment and 12-week first outpatient appointment targets counted among them. These also include cancer detection rates, dementia support, treatment time guarantee and staff sickness.

A NHSGGC spokesperson added: “Unfortunately there are pressures which are proving challenging and patients awaiting some speciality appointments are waiting longer than we would like and we apologise. The board has identified a number of actions to help alleviate the pressures for some specialties to increase the available capacity and meet the rising demand. The Scottish Government has provided additional funding to assist in reducing the number of both inpatients and new outpatients waiting more than 12 weeks.”