Scottish Budget will prioritise patients through NHS improvement

The Scottish Government Budget will prioritise patients and drive improvements to the NHS, Health Secretary Neil Gray has said.

If approved by parliament, the 2025/26 Budget will deliver record health and social care funding of £21 billion to ensure faster, more accessible care by improving capacity and tackling systemic challenges like delayed discharge.

This builds on ongoing efforts to address the NHS’ challenges and improve healthcare for all to create a more responsive, effective health service with earlier intervention, ensuring better outcomes for patients throughout Scotland.

Key measures set out in the draft Budget include:

• reducing NHS waiting lists, by cutting waiting times so patients can receive vital treatments and procedures more quickly
• improved access to GPs with expanded primary care services and additional resources to make it easier for people to see their GP
• progress set to continue on new hospitals, including the Belford, replacement Monklands, and Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, which will deliver state-of-the-art care and greater capacity

To address delayed discharge and reduce waiting lists, £200 million has been allocated in the 2025-26 Budget. If approved by parliament, this funding will expand the innovative ‘Hospital at Home’ service, allowing more patients to receive high-quality care at home instead of being admitted to a hospital.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “We are determined to drive improvements in our NHS and deliver the best possible service for patients.  But I know that some people are waiting too long and finding it difficult to get appointments – we have listened and we are taking action. That is what people can expect from this government.

“The measures we set out in the Budget would mean quicker treatments, more GP appointments, and world-class facilities for people across Scotland.

“By March 2026, no-one will wait longer than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment, inpatient treatment or day case treatment with more than 150,000 extra patients treated as a result.

“The Budget also delivers investment to tackle delayed discharge, one of the biggest challenges facing the NHS, and to expand the Hospital at Home service giving thousands of patients the care they need at home while freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most.

“With initiatives like these, we will build a modern, resilient NHS that delivers for everyone by providing innovative and effective care.

“But we will only be able to deliver these transformational investments and drive further improvements for patients if our Budget is agreed. Our NHS needs this Budget to pass – and I am urging Parliament to unite behind it.”