New figures show NHS waiting lists in Scotland have fallen and waits of more than a year have reduced for the fourth month in a row.
When compared with August 2025, September saw a 7.3% decrease in new outpatient waits longer than a year – this number has now fallen for four consecutive months. The total waiting list for outpatients has decreased by 2.0% on the same month last year, and the inpatient and daycase waiting list has fallen by 0.2% over the same period.
Treatment Time Guarantee waits of over a year have decreased by 5.9% when compared to last month. These waits have been dropping since February 2025 and are now lower than at the same point last year. Reductions are seen under both 2012 and 2023 waiting times guidance.
The latest figures show that activity has increased, with the number of new outpatient attendances for September increasing by 10,136 (9.5%) to 116,776 attendances when compared with August. There has also been an increase of more than 31,000 appointments and procedures from April to September compared to same period in 2024.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “These new figures show our plan is working and delivering for the people of Scotland – we have provided more than £110 million of additional targeted funding this year to tackle the longest waits and we are now seeing the tangible impact of our significant investment.
“We are not only seeing the total list size and longest waits come down, but we are also treating more people with activity increasing significantly compared to last month and last year. My thanks to all teams across the country who are working so hard to drive these improvements.
“Despite this progress, we know that many people are still facing unacceptable waits and we are determined to build on these improvements and ensure people receive the treatment they need as soon as possible.”
New qualifications body and independent inspectorate to be established
The creation of a new national qualifications body, along with an independent education inspectorate, has taken a major step forward after legislation to implement the changes was passed in the Scottish Parliament.
The Education (Scotland) Bill was backed by 69 votes to 47 by MSPs last night. This includes provisions to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) with a new organisation, Qualifications Scotland.
The office of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland, with enhanced independence, will be created to undertake the education inspection functions that currently sit within Education Scotland.
The final legislation, following Stage 2 and Stage 3 amendments to the Bill initially introduced in June last year, includes measures from all political parties represented on Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People committee.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “The successful passage of this legislation shows this Government is serious about implementing the changes needed to drive improvement across Scotland’s education and skills system.
“The creation of a new national qualifications body is about building the right conditions for reform to flourish; the new body will ensure that knowledge and experience of pupils and teachers are at the heart of our national qualifications offering.
“The new inspectorate body will also have greater independence and the power to set the frequency and focus of inspections, moving this function away from Ministers, to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector.
“Throughout this process, I have been determined to work with other parties on this vital legislation. I am also grateful to teaching unions and other organisations across civic Scotland who contributed to its development.
“Taken together our major programme of education and skills reform will bring about the changes needed to meet the needs of future generations of young people.”
British Sign Language (BSL) recognised in Scotland’s new education legislation
The National Deaf Children’s Society and fellow deaf campaigners are celebrating after the Scottish Parliament voted through the new Education (Scotland) Bill 2025, which includes crucial recognition of the rights of British Sign Language (BSL) users.
The inclusion of BSL in the Bill is the culmination of a year-long campaign from a coalition of deaf charities, spearheaded by the National Deaf Children’s Society, and supported by more than 500 campaigners, including deaf young people and their families.
The campaign kicked into life after a previous reading of the Bill recognised Gaelic but not BSL, despite both languages having legal recognition in Scotland.
Campaigners urged Scottish MSPs to recognise BSL in the Bill, highlighting that deaf learners in Scotland are currently nearly three times more likely to leave school without qualifications than their hearing peers.
MSPs voted to support the legislation as the Bill completed the final stage of debate on 25 June. It is now set to become law, once it receives Royal Assent.
George McGowan from the National Deaf Children’s Society said: “This is a historic moment for deaf children, young people, and their families, who realised this milestone through their tireless and incredible campaigning.
“This means BSL will receive the recognition and support it rightly deserves within Scotland’s educational system.”
The new education bodies created by the legislation will now have to give equal weight to both BSL and the Gaelic language.
The new qualifications agency in Scotland, Qualification Scotland, must also consider the needs of pupils who use BSL or learn in BSL.
This is significant as it recognises the importance of BSL as a language in the Scottish education system and crucially, means deaf children and young people who use BSL, will receive access to information and support from Qualification Scotland in their preferred language.
The new law also places requirements on the new Chief Inspector of Education to consider the importance of communicating in a way that best meets the needs of children and young people, including those who use BSL.
Mr McGowan, who has severe to profound deafness and uses BSL as his first language, added: “Too many deaf children and young people in Scotland still face barriers to learning and to using sign language, if it’s the right choice for them. This is why it’s so vital that this new law now recognises the importance of BSL.”
It is hoped that the passing of the new law will ensure deaf children and young people have access to an inclusive education that meets their needs.
Deaf teenager Niamdh Braid was one of the young people involved in the campaign for the Bill to recognise the rights of BSL users.
Niamdh, who earlier this month attended a meeting with MSPs at Holyrood to discuss the Bill, said: “The inclusion of BSL is incredible as it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves.
“This will hopefully not only bring more awareness to BSL but also give deaf children the access to sign language that they need.”
Niamdh, who was supported by the National Deaf Children’s Society in her legal battle with Fife Councilto have a BSL interpreter in her class for school lessons, added: “Hopefully this will mean deaf young people no longer have to fight for access to their own language like I had to.”
BSL is recognised in law as one of Scotland’s languages. It is a vibrant language that allows deaf children and young people to access a rich deaf culture, heritage and identity. The importance of BSL was recognised in the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015.
Qualifications Scotland is expected to become operational in Autumn 2025.
Staff praised as national target is exceeded again
The national standard on waiting times for children and young people accessing mental health services has been met for the second quarter in row.
Latest Public Health statistics show 91.6% of those referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were seen within 18 weeks from January to March – the Scottish Government standard is 90%.
The figure is an increase from 90.6% for the previous quarter and from 86% for the same quarter in 2024.
However the Children First charity says the figures are just ‘the tip of the iceberg’.
Visiting the CAMHS service in NHS Forth Valley to thank staff for their dedication, Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “We want all children and young people to be able to access appropriate mental health treatment as and when they need to, and this continued progress on waiting times is testament to the hard-working staff who care for those referred to these services.
“We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026 and this will no doubt have contributed to the improvements we are seeing but I am well aware there is still much to be done if this is to be sustained and consistent across Scotland.
“However, we are on the right path and the £123.5 million we have allocated to NHS Boards this year will mean the quality and delivery of all mental health services – including CAMHS – will continue to improve.”
Lesley Dunabie, Department Manager & Head of Nursing for NHS Forth Valley CAMHS, said: “We are delighted that the changes introduced by local staff over the last 18 months have made such a positive impact to our waiting times and significantly improved the services and support available for children and young people with serious mental illness.
“We are committed to building on this by continuing to develop and improve local services for children and young people and working with a wide range of partners to help increase access to support in local schools and communities at an earlier stage.”
Children First: Figures are ‘tip of the iceberg’
Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children First, said: “We know that today’s figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Every day, Children First teams across Scotland are hearing from more and more children and young people in severe distress. Scotland is facing a childhood emergency. Children need help now.
“Scottish Government must do more to invest in early help and support to prevent children reaching crisis point.
“If you are worried about your child, then Children First’s support line is here to help. You can contact our friendly team on 08000 28 22 33 or on our website at https://www.childrenfirst.org.uk/supportline .”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Chilldren’s Services Coalition commented: “The latest figures highlighting that 164 children and young people have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment are extremely alarming.
“What we need is not just parity of esteem between mental health and physical health, it’s parity of action and parity of spend.
“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.
“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits.”
A record number of pupils in Scotland are being taught in schools in “good or satisfactory” condition, official figures show.
The 2024 School Estate Statistics show that a record 91.7% of school buildings, with a total of 647,773 pupils, are in a good or satisfactory condition.
This is an increase of 29 percentage points since April 2007. Since then, 1,139 school building projects have been completed.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “This government is determined to deliver high quality learning environments for all pupils in Scotland – and a key part of that is delivering a world-class school estate.
“Positive school environments play a huge role in the education of Scotland’s young people and our investment is paying dividends, with a record high number of schools being in good or satisfactory condition.
“The Scottish Government is continuing its investment in the school estate through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. As set out in our Programme for Government, construction will begin on a further eight school building projects over the next year.
“This means that by the end of 2027-28, Scotland will have seen 47 modern, state-of-the-art school buildings open, thanks to our investment.”
Fresh uplift in permanent staff appointments, but growth only mild
Temp billings rise at quicker pace
Pay pressures ease, but remain historically sharp
Scotland’s labour market saw an improvement in overall hiring activity in September, according to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs survey, with recruiters reporting a fresh rise in permanent placements and stronger temp billings growth.
The seasonally adjusted Permanent Placements Index rose back above the neutral 50.0 mark, rising from 47.3 in August to 52.7 in September, to signal a mild uplift in permanent staff appointments, while temp billings increased at a strong and accelerated rate.
At the same time, sustained growth of vacancies, combined with another deterioration in candidate availability, led to further upwards pressure on pay. Notably, both starting salaries and temp wages increased at historically sharp rates, despite easing since August.
Permanent placements return to growth
Adjusted for seasonal variation, the Permanent Placements Index rose back above the neutral level of 50.0 in September to signal a fresh rise in permanent staff appointments across Scotland. Panellists attributed the upturn to strong demand for staff and increased hiring activity amongst clients in some sectors. That said, the pace of increase was only mild.
September data pointed to sustained growth of temp billings across Scotland, extending the current sequence of upturn that began two years ago. The rate of expansion ticked up from August’s seven-month low and was solid overall.
The pace of increase in temp billings in Scotland was broadly in line with the trend seen for the UK as a whole.
Further marked drop in permanent candidate availability
The supply of permanent staff across Scotland continued to decrease in September, stretching the current sequence of contraction to 20 months. Skills shortages and high demand for staff reportedly drove the latest fall. Notably, the rate of decline quickened slightly on the month and was marked overall.
Scotland recorded a much sharper fall in permanent staff supply than that seen on average across the UK, with the pace of decline slowing slightly on the month at the national level.
Adjusted for seasonal variation, the Temporary Candidate Availability Index remained below the neutral 50.0 mark in September, signalling a nineteenth straight monthly deterioration in the supply of temp staff across Scotland and one that was rapid overall. Panellists cited strong demand for short-term workers and a reluctance among candidates to move roles. Although it remained much sharper than that seen at the national level, the pace of contraction was the slowest for six months.
Rate of starting salary inflation eases to 15-month low
September data signalled a sustained uplift in salaries awarded to permanent new joiners in Scotland, amid reports that strong demand for staff led to upwards pressure on pay. Though historically sharp, the rate of salary inflation was the slowest for 15 months, and weaker than that recorded for the UK as a whole.
A twenty-second monthly increase in hourly rates for short-term staff in Scotland was recorded in September. According to survey respondents, skills shortages were the primary cause of the latest rise. The rate of temp wage inflation softened to a four-month low, but was nonetheless sharp and outpaced the UK-wide average.
Permanent vacancies rise at slower rate
As has been the case in each month since February 2021, demand for permanent staff in Scotland increased in September. The rate of expansion was the softest seen for a year-and-a-half, albeit sharp by historical standards.
IT & Computing recorded the fastest rise in permanent vacancies, followed by Nursing/Medical/Care, while Hotel & Catering saw the slowest.
Temporary vacancies across Scotland continued to rise in September, extending the current sequence of growth to two years. The rate of increase was the slowest since February 2021, but still sharp overall.
Across the monitored sectors, demand for temp staff was strongest in IT & Computing, followed by Accounts & Financial.
Sebastian Burnside, Chief Economist at Royal Bank of Scotland, commented: “Permanent staff appointments across Scotland rose during September following a moderate fall in August, amid reports of improved hiring activity at clients in some sectors and strong demand for workers.
“The rate of growth was only mild, but nonetheless outpaced the UK-wide average. Temp billings also increased, with growth ticking up since August to a solid pace.
“The imbalance between staff demand and supply continued to place upwards pressure on pay in September.
“The latest survey showed that both permanent and temporary staff availability continued to decline sharply, which drove further increases in temp pay and starting salaries at rates seldom seen in the history of the survey.”
