As a Silver Surfer, the important statistic seems the one above. However:
16 613 started treatment for psychological therapies in the quarter ending September 2018. 78.2% were seen within 18 weeks, up from 76.3% in the previous quarter.
1 040 people aged 65+ attended and 88% were seen in 18 weeks, up from 85.5% in the previous quarter.
Talking-up Scotland 
I welcome your persistence via a series of articles in presenting the other side of the ‘missed targets’ so beloved by BBC Scotland and the rest of Nomedia. A very large majority of people referred for treatment ARE treated within the target date.
The reason the BBC and others love ‘targets’ is it means they can BLAME people. There is psychology behind this in that it is easy, particularly if one has no experience, to slide from interpreting ‘missed targets’ as ‘no-one is treated’ the term ‘target’ becomes a proxy for ‘treatment’, ergo ‘failed target’ becomes ‘failed treatment’. This is why so many people chant ‘NOTHING EVER GETS DONE!’. Sadly, the Health Service unions are, cynically, in the van withthis.
In my own field, education, which is similarly bullied by targets, one of the clearest examples of this can be found in inspectors’ reports on schools. An inspection always includes a questionnaire to all parents asking about their views of their children’s school. Always, by a large majority, they express a high degree of satisfaction. However, when they are asked about other schools the majority view is ‘how BAD they are’. This is because they are influenced by adverse reports in the media, which usually arise from a release by the teacher unions. (Incidentally, when school inspectors meet Head Teachers to discuss these parental surveys, we are asked about every one of the criticising comments, while, other than giving the aggregate total, we are not asked about the praising comments. During the last inspection I underwent, I had to spend 15 minutes (of an hour long discussion) responding to the SINGLE critical parental comment.
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Thanks. As always adding something.
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