January 2008
Then health secretary Nicola Sturgeon introduces new NHS waiting times regime. It is designed not to penalise patients from being treated within target times if they cancel or do not accept a reasonable offer of an appointment due to medical or social reasons.
April 2010
New pledge to treat 90% or more of all inpatients and day patients within 18 weeks of being referred to hospital. The previous target was 21 weeks. Concerns later raised in Scottish Parliament about accuracy of information recorded in NHS Lothian following media reports that patients were marked down as unavailable if they did not accept appointments offered in England.
March 2012
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon "shocked and extremely angry" after an external review finds NHS Lothian marking patients as unavailable to artificially reduce the number of waiting patients.
April 2012
NHS Lothian's chief executive Professor James Barbour, 59, steps down from his £195,000 post.
May 2012
An independent report ordered by Ms Sturgeon finds a long-term culture of bullying, secrecy and cover-up led to NHS Lothian health board rigging its waiting time figures.
June 2012
Public services watchdog Audit Scotland announces its review of NHS waiting lists management.
October 2012
As fallout from the NHS scandal continues, patients get the extra safeguard of a 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee enshrined in law.
December 2012
Two NHS executives suspended from NHS Tayside after preliminary findings by Audit Scotland were reported to management. Patients in Grampian were allegedly phoned at home during the day – with no messages left – to fix appointment.
February 2013
Audit Scotland publishes its report...
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