Receiving Treatment

Patients who are due to receive treatment have a right to receive the treatment within 12 weeks from the date they agree to the treatment.

This is known as the Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG) and forms part of NHS Scotland’s waiting times service.

Not all treatments are covered in the treatment time guarantee.

Read more about waiting times

Cancer waiting times

If you’re an adult with a newly diagnosed primary cancer type (such as breast, lung, head and neck) your health board should provide treatment within the following time scales:

• within 31 days from when the decision was made to treat your cancer
• within 62 days from being referred urgently with suspected cancer

These timescales include referrals from national cancer screening programmes.

You can ask NHS staff if your cancer treatment is covered by the national waiting standard.

Mental health waiting times

If you have a mental health problem that requires support through specialist services, your health board should provide you with treatment within the following timescales:

• 90% of those referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) should begin treatment within 18 weeks
• 90% of people referred for psychological therapies should begin treatment within 18 weeks