ALMOST 100 patients will not start treatment within guaranteed time limits after a computer mistake at NHS Borders.

Local health chiefs have this week issued an apology.

According to Government guidelines all patients in Scotland are entitled to start treatment within 12 weeks of diagnosis.

But a data entry error at the local health board, which began last autumn, has already seen 38 patients miss the deadline.

And a further 60 cases are currently at risk of exceeding the Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG).

NHS Borders Head of Information Management and Technology Jackie Stephen said: “The cause of this error was a configuration error within our IT system, and regretfully the treatment time guarantee for a small number of patients has been affected.

“I would like to apologise on behalf of the Board for any inconvenience that this has caused.” Staff at NHS Borders identified the problem after returning from the festive break.

And the error in the data entry system for waiting lists has now been sorted.

Between September 2 and January 6, 2015, a total of 1767 patients were listed for treatment.

A total of 38 patients during that time began treatment beyond their statutory TTG of 12 weeks - the maximum delay was 11 days.

But a further 60 patients who are ready to start treatment for their conditions are also likely to miss the time guarantee.

Under the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, if time guarantees are breached, all health boards must ensure that patients are offered both an explanation and also the next available appointment.

NHS Borders confirmed that every patient whose guarantee date has been affected has been sent a letter of explanation and apology.

They also stated that all dates for treatment that have previously been agreed remain unaffected, unless the patient has been notified otherwise.

Chair of the Clinical Board at Borders General Hospital, Dr Hamish McRitchie, added: “I would like to reassure the public that we have taken this situation very seriously and every effort is being taken to minimise the impact for our patients.

“The efforts of staff in recognising and correcting the error are to be commended, and our learning will be fed into future system developments and checks.”