Pledge on waiting times exceeded
The pledge to carry out 64,000 surgeries and procedures with additional funding by the end of March 2025 has been exceeded, new figures released to the Scottish Parliament have revealed.
More than 75,500 NHS surgeries and procedures were delivered between April 2024 the end of January 2025, around 11,500 more than pledged.
Funded through £30 million investment, the targeted activity has resulted in significant reductions in inpatient/daycase waiting lists across a number of health board areas and specialities. Between April 2024 and September 2024 there has been:
- a 44% decrease in Imaging waits at NHS Fife
- a 22% decrease in Urology waits at NHS Forth Valley.
- a 19% decrease in Ear, Nose and Throat waits at NHS Highland
- an almost 15% decrease in Ophthalmology waits at NHS Lanarkshire
- an almost 10% decrease in General Surgery waits at NHS Lothian.
The targeted funding has also helped reduce the total national waiting list size between April 2024 and September 2024 for imaging by 7.5% and for scopes by 7.3%.
In April 2024 the Scottish Government funded NHS boards to deliver 64,000 procedures (40,000 diagnostic procedures, 12,000 surgeries and 12,000 new outpatient appointments) by March 2025. By January 2025, 56,500 diagnostic procedures, almost 9,200 surgeries, and over 9,800 outpatient appointments took place.
The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the impact of the funding until the end of March 2025 with boards reporting they expect to see further progress.
Latest published data also shows a rise in planned care activity between April 2024 and September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 – with an 8.3% increase in inpatient/daycase procedures and a 2.5% increase for new outpatient appointments.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I am pleased to see health boards are now reporting the tangible impacts of our investment to clear the longest waits. Our plan is delivering and we are seeing progress across a number of speciality areas. I thank staff for their outstanding effort in carrying out this additional activity which is having a positive impact on people’s lives.
“This is a good start, however, we know many people are still waiting too long. We are determined do more and our 2025-26 Budget, with cross-party support now agreed, will provide a record £21.7 billion for health – including £200 million to help clear waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and reduce delayed discharge.
“This record funding will help us ensure no one waits more than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment or inpatient/daycase treatment by March 2026. We will also deliver over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the coming year which will ensure people receive the care they need as quickly as possible.”
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