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Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today visited an innovative project which has slashed waiting times for cancer patients.

The one-stop clinic at the Western General's Edinburgh Breast Unit now ensures that patients are seen and given a diagnosis the same day.

The project is one of scores of different schemes running across Scotland under the NHS's Efficiency Programme, which has saved the health service £300 million in 2008-09.

Previously, patients waited up to eight weeks but are now seen within 14 days of being referred, even with a 25 per cent increase in patients.

Redesigning the service means that patients who used to have to go for one test, wait for results, then go back for a different test until a diagnosis was established can now be seen in one hospital visit.

Setting up a parallel clinic for low-risk patients has also speeded up the service, as fewer women now need a mammogram.

This change alone is saving NHS Lothian an estimated £100,000 a year.

Projects have been set up in every part of the NHS to help achieve £646 million efficiency savings in three years.

Ms Sturgeon said:

"Waiting to find out whether you have cancer is a very traumatic experience. That is why it is crucial that patients with suspected cancer are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

"This one-stop clinic does just that and has dramatically reduced waits for patients, enabling treatment to start more quickly.

"It is a great example of what can be achieved through the Efficiency and Productivity programme.

"I am impressed that NHS Scotland has saved £300 million in 2008-09 but this project reminds us that efficiency isn't just about saving money - it is about delivering the best possible service for patients."

James McCaffery, Chief Operating Officer for Acute Services at NHS Lothian, said:

"We know how important it is that patients are seen and diagnosed as quickly as possible for any type of illness.

"The changes that we have made at the Breast Unit have dramatically reduced the amount of time which women wait for diagnosis, and this means that women who are diagnosed with breast cancer can start their treatment sooner.

"NHS Lothian is leading the way in introducing efficiencies to improve the services we provide. This year alone we have delivered over £19 million of savings which has been reinvested into patient care."

NHS Scotland's Efficiency and Productivity Programme aims to achieve two per cent cash-releasing efficiencies over the three-year period 2008-09 to 2010-11.

T he service at the Western General Hospital, the only one of its kind in Scotland, was redesigned as part of the Lean in Lothian programme, a project to make NHS Lothian more efficient.

Investment in more staff and theatre time meant the one-stop clinic could be established, enabling women to have all the tests they need the same day and leave with a diagnosis.

Through projects such as this, NHS Lothian made more than £19 million efficiency savings in 2008-09.