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.”
As part of our ongoing work on the lives of people with learning disabilities, we continue to track the latest research, policy developments, and data shaping their experiences (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s DAVID JACK).
In previous round-ups, we’ve explored topics ranging from employment and social care to education and healthcare access. For this edition, we turn our attention to the rollout of annual health checks for people with learning disabilities in Scotland.
What are Annual Health Checks?
An Annual Health Check is a yearly check-up offered to individuals with learning disabilities to help identify and manage their health needs. It typically includes a review of medical history, physical health measurements (such as weight and blood pressure), checks on long-term conditions, discussions about mental health and lifestyle, assessment of healthcare access difficulties, medication reviews, and the development of a health action plan if required. The goal is to detect potential health issues early and support overall well-being.
Why Annual Health Checks Matter
Annual health checks are seen as a vital tool in addressing health inequalities. Many people with learning disabilities face challenges in communicating their symptoms, making proactive health assessments essential. Research consistently highlights the poorer health outcomes this group experiences, including higher rates of undiagnosed conditions, preventable illnesses, and premature mortality.
Just this week, researchers at the University of Glasgow released new findings revealing that young adults (aged 25-34) with learning disabilities are nine times more likely to die from treatable causes than their peers in the general population. The study, led by the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory, underlined the severe health inequalities faced by this group—particularly young women, who were found to be at disproportionately higher risk of premature death from treatable conditions.
Scotland’s Commitment and the Reality of Implementation
In May 2022, the Scottish Government pledged to offer annual health checks to all adults (aged 16+) with learning disabilities by 31st March 2023. To support this, NHS Boards were allocated £2 million annually. However, implementation struggles led to a revised deadline of 31st March 2024.
The first official data on Scotland’s progress has now been released by the Scottish Government. The 2023/24 figures reveal that despite identifying 23,758 eligible individuals, only 1,405 (6%) health checks were offered, with just 1,128 completed. This means fewer than 5% of eligible individuals have received a health check—highlighting that the rollout remains far from comprehensive. Notably, while 80% of those offered a check went on to complete it, the vast majority of eligible adults have yet to be given the opportunity.
The failure to fully implement the annual health check programme points to deeper systemic challenges within Scotland’s healthcare system. While the Scottish Government has made reassurances that health checks remain a priority, the delay of the Learning Disabilities, Autism, and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill has raised concerns about long-term commitment.
In a letter to the Health, Social Care, and Sport Committee, Minister Maree Todd reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s dedication to expanding health checks, including exploring new settings such as the State Hospital and prisons. However, these recent figures suggest that rather than expanding, the programme is struggling at a foundational level. The challenge appears not to be a lack of policy ambition but a failure in execution, which risks slowing or even obstructing progress in reducing health inequalities in Scotland.
A Troubling Lack of Progress
While 2024 marks the first year of formal reporting, and some allowances can be made for scaling-up challenges, the level of delivery remains lower than expected, particularly given the dedicated £2 million in annual funding. The current data does not include a breakdown of uptake by NHS Board—an important detail that should be incorporated into future reporting. The next set of figures, due in June 2025, will be key in providing greater transparency on regional disparities, and we also encourage the publication of more detailed demographic data when appropriate.
Back in November 2024, media reports stated that none of Scotland’s NHS Boards had fully met the target of offering health checks to all eligible individuals. In some areas, such as NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Shetland, there were indications that not a single eligible patient had received a health check. Greater clarity on this is needed through more detailed official statistical reporting to ensure timely, accurate and transparent data on progress.
Encouraging NHS Boards to report on how they are utilising the allocated £2 million per annum could provide valuable insights and help address delivery challenges. Additionally, assessing the effectiveness of public awareness campaigns would help identify what has worked well and what could be improved to ensure that people with learning disabilities and their families are fully informed about their right to an annual health check.
Varied Approaches
The Scottish Government provided directives outlining the framework for annual health checks, while allowing flexibility in local implementation. This flexibility has resulted in varied delivery models across NHS Boards, reflecting differences in workforce capacity, healthcare structures, and local resources. Some Boards will conduct checks primarily through GP practices, while others may incorporate community-based assessments, specialist learning disability health teams, or partnerships with third-sector organisations.
For example, NHS Lothian recommended a model where Community Learning Disability Nurses work closely with GP practices. Other Boards are integrating health checks into community services or collaborating with third-sector organisations to improve outreach. However, these varied approaches risk creating inconsistencies in data recording, as different systems are likely being used.
The Scottish Government has emphasised the need for standardised data collection across all Health Boards. A uniform approach is essential for assessing the effectiveness of health checks and ensuring equitable service delivery. The Annual Health Checks National Implementation Group aims to assist NHS Boards in aligning practices and reporting methods, with members expected to share real-time delivery data to collaboratively address challenges, overcome barriers, and provide peer support.
Beyond the Census: How Health Checks Could Bridge the Data Gap
If Scotland’s annual health checks for individuals with learning disabilities had been fully implemented as intended, they could have provided a valuable and reliable dataset on the number of people with learning disabilities in the country. Interestingly, the number of adults (23,758) identified through the Annual Health Check Survey Return to the Scottish Government already exceeds the number of adults reporting a learning disability in Scotland’s 2011 Census (21,115) by 12.5%.
This first set of published data for the Annual Health Check Survey states, “The method by which eligible people are identified varies by Health Board – the numbers identified only represent people with learning disabilities who are known to services.” Coupled with the fact that these checks are not yet being delivered at full capacity, this suggests that the true number of adults with learning disabilities in Scotland is likely to be higher than 23,758.
Scotland’s 2022 Census faced significant challenges in identifying the learning disability population. Instead of reporting learning disabilities separately, the published data currently combines them with learning difficulties and developmental disorder—a disappointing step backward compared to 2011.
The National Records of Scotland (NRS) identified learning disability as the primary category of concern, noting an “unrealistically large increase” in the number of people selecting this category compared to the previous census. As we previously explained, quality assurance efforts primarily relied on triangulating data with Scotland’s Pupil Census, which only captures those in school education and does not account for the broader adult population.
A fully functioning health check system could have served as an essential alternative data source, refining population estimates, improving census accuracy, and informing future data collection. Crucially, it could have also helped assess discrepancies in reported numbers—and given the challenges with learning disability recording in the 2022 Census, it still could—helping to clarify the scale of potential misrepresentation and ensuring that individuals with learning disabilities are properly represented in National Statistics and policy planning.
Policy Changes in England: A Warning for Scotland?
Recent developments in England signal changes to the NHS’s approach to annual health checks for individuals with learning disabilities. In an effort to prioritise reducing waiting times, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a reduction in the number of NHS targets from 32 to 18.
This streamlining includes the removal of the specific target to provide annual health checks to 75% of people with learning disabilities across England. It is worth noting that unlike England’s previous approach, Scotland’s current policy is to offer a health check to all eligible individuals, without a set percentage target for delivery.
The Health Secretary’s recent decision has raised concerns that removing these targets could also lead to the loss of ring-fenced funding in England. Historically, funding has been directly tied to national targets to support their delivery, and without this financial safeguard, there is a risk that annual health checks could be deprioritised.
Mencap has warned that removing this target could have “deadly consequences,” as people with learning disabilities already face a life expectancy up to 23 years shorter than the general population.
While healthcare policy in Scotland is devolved, pressures on workforce capacity and financial resources remain significant challenges. If services continue to be overstretched, there is a risk that learning disability healthcare may receive less focus. This could make it more difficult to address health inequalities, potentially leaving those already at high risk of poor health outcomes further marginalised.
Conclusion: Turning Commitment into Action
The rollout of annual health checks for people with learning disabilities in Scotland remains a work in progress, with ongoing challenges still to be addressed. Despite the Scottish Government’s assurances that expanding access remains a priority, the reality is that progress has been slow, and only a small percentage of eligible individuals have received a health check so far.
Beyond improving individual health outcomes, a fully implemented programme could play a crucial role in shaping policy by providing more accurate data on Scotland’s learning disability population—particularly given the shortcomings of the 2022 Census.
As concerns over widening health inequalities grow and policy shifts in England raise further questions about long-term commitments, Scotland must ensure that these health checks move beyond ambition and become a fully embedded, effective service.
New guidance that aims to improve equal participation and representation of women in parliaments around the world has today been published by the Scottish Parliament.
The development of Gender Sensitising Parliaments: A Practical Guide was led by academics from the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sarah Childs, Personal Chair of Politics and Gender, and Professor Meryl Kenny, Professor of Gender and Politics.
The Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, commissioned an audit, with participation from a cross-party group of MSPs and external experts, to assess its own progress towards being gender sensitive.
The audit reported that, while the Parliament had made good progress, the equal representation of women was not yet embedded.
The Scottish Parliament Audit, A Parliament for All, recommended a package of changes that were designed to strengthen equal representation and participation of women and the mainstreaming of gender equality across the Parliament’s work, which the Scottish Parliament is working towards implementing.
The development of a Practical Guide was one of the recommendations in the Audit.
The new Guide outlines core principles and practices of a gender sensitive parliament and sets out a six-step process to evaluate and enhance gender sensitivity in parliaments.
It also highlights the importance of a broad understanding of gender sensitivity, enthusiastic leadership, collaborative ethos, robust research, and institutional support in working towards equal participation and representation in parliaments.
Reflecting on the publication of the Guide, Presiding Officer Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, said: “I am delighted to see The Guide published and would like to express my gratitude to Professor Childs and Professor Kenny for their work.”
“Research shows that the strength of democracy is improved by having greater diversity in our parliaments. When a parliament better reflects the communities it serves, better decisions are made.
“This guidance includes lessons from our Gender Sensitive Audit, which itself was informed by ground-breaking work from organisations across the globe. I hope it is useful and look forward to hearing of other legislatures’ experiences as they work towards equal participation and representation.”
Professor Sarah Childs said: “More and more parliaments are undertaking gender sensitive audits. This can only be a good thing.
“This Guide provides lessons learned from the Scottish Parliament audit, which can help showcase why it matters, and how to undertake, a gender sensitive audit. We hope that it will encourage even more parliaments to embrace the principle and practices of gender sensitising parliaments.”
Professor Meryl Kenny said: ““Scotland is one of an increasing number of countries around the world committed to reforms that will gender sensitise its parliament.
“This Guide takes this ongoing work forward by sharing the Scottish Parliament’s experiences, and offering a practical route map to gender sensitising a parliament on the ground. A parliament that is inclusive of and responsive to women, in all their diversity, is a more representative and effective parliament.”
A cultural change and “brave and bold action” are required to tackle a “public health emergency” created by drug use in Scotland, according to a report sent to MSPs by a people’s panel.
The panellists’ report recognises that progress has been made, but says that further action is needed. It calls for public campaigns to raise awareness of drug harm and drug use, recommends funding should be ring fenced and prioritised on prevention and seeks improvements in information shared between government agencies.
However, the introduction of the Naloxone programme to prevent fatal drug overdoses, and the opening of the safer drug consumption room, The Thistle, are welcomed in the report.
The panel’s report also calls for greater involvement of the third sector and people with lived experience. It concludes that a lack of urgency in responding to drug harm and use reinforces the stigma already associated with these issues.
The creation of the people’s panel, formed of 23 people, was requested by the Cross-Committee on tackling drug deaths and drug harms. Members of the Criminal Justice Committee, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee commissioned the panel to gather public views on the question, ‘What does Scotland need to do differently to reduce drug related harms?’. The panel met at the Parliament in October and November 2024.
Over the course of two weekends, members of the panel heard evidence from people with lived experience of drug harms, from academics and researchers, and from stakeholders who work in this area, before developing their report.
The panel’s report will help inform the cross-Committee’s scrutiny of matters related to reducing drug deaths and tackling problem drug use. It’s 19 recommendations cover rights and people’s lived experience, justice, access to treatment, care and support, prevention and harm reduction.
Mairi McIntosh, from the Highlands and Islands region, was one of the members of the People’s Panel. She said:“I found participating in the People’s Panel humbling.
“The team at the Scottish Parliament organised a diverse range of experts and worked hard to lay out the worrying and rapid escalation in drug related deaths and harms in Scotland. The wide range of speakers gave us great insight into the data and evidence about the complexity of the issue including the causes, impacts and ways they believed the Scottish government could help.
“Hearing from those such as Steph McCutcheon about having success with service users through the East Ayrshire Recovery Hub, matches up with what we heard from others about the importance not only of the third sector’s role in local based solutions but how it is imperative those with lived experiences are valued and involved in every stage of the planning and implementing of measures being taken.
“All the evidence we heard highlighted the urgency for action from the Scottish government to implement brave and lasting change. Change needed to seriously reduce the deaths, impacts of harms to individuals, their families and communities and the pressure this puts on health, care, police, justice, other services and the people who are working to help those suffering.
“I feel it would be a poor reflection on our country to allow this issue to further impact some of the most vulnerable groups in our society.
“I am hopeful that our report shows that as voices from across Scotland, representing different backgrounds and lives, some directly affected by the issues of drug harm and death and others not, that we want the Scottish government to acknowledge the causes and barriers like stigma and discrimination and realise that we cannot afford to not take bold action now.”
Reflecting on the publication of the panel’s findings Audrey Nicoll MSP, Convener of the Criminal Justice Committee said:“We would like to thank the panel for their focused and determined work in delivering this serious and well considered report.
“Our Committees look forward to thoroughly considering the panel’s findings and putting its report’s recommendations to the Scottish Government.”
Significant steps forward have been made to decide the future of the Gorgie City Farm site after a series of setbacks.
Dangerous buildings, frozen pipes, flooding, the barn roof being partially blown off and the collapse of a ceiling were events which all halted progress at various times. Structural damage to several of the Farm’s buildings was also discovered during a survey, and as a result the Farm site has had to remain closed to the public for safety reasons.
Despite unexpected events, a lot has been going on behind the scenes, and progress has really picked up pace.
Planning for the Farm site’s future is being supported by EVOC (Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council) alongside an advisory group.
A new Company Limited By Guarantee has been formed and the new company will apply for charitable status in the near future. The new company will lead on future development on the site, and local people will play an important role in progressing medium and long term ambitions for the Farm.
Local people have already contributed their thoughts and wishes for Gorgie Farm site’s future. An extensive community consultation exercise was led by Project partner Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, with hundreds of people contributing ideas.
Farm Site Manager Suzanne Campbell is pleased to see ideas for the site’s future taking shape: “The Farm has a very special place in the hearts of the people of Gorgie, Dalry and the wider city, and the input of local people to what the site might look like in the future has been outstanding.
“It’s taken longer than we hoped to start to put together options for its future, but we are now in the process of preparing a report which will be presented to the Council in August.”
The report will outline four fully costed options for the future of the Gorgie Farm site will be presented to City of Edinburgh’s Culture & Communities Committee on 24 August 2024.
Victoria Atkins aims to make health and social care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients
Health and Social Care Secretary sets out intention to make the system faster, simpler and fairer for patients
Victoria Atkins thanks staff for a week of delivery, in which two manifesto commitments were met
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins has thanked health, social care and research staff for delivering on patients’ priorities, as she set out her commitment to make the health and social care system faster, simpler and fairer for patients.
Her words came days after pharmacies across the country began offering new contraceptive services and additional blood pressure checks, and after a breakthrough in talks to end consultant strikes, which saw the British Medical Association Consultants committee agree to put an offer on contract reform to its members.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said: “Since joining the department, I have been bowled over by the way health and social care staff just keep on delivering for patients. The important milestones we’ve reached this week – reaching 50,000 additional nurses and 50 million more GP appointments – demonstrate real progress.
“I have spent the past few weeks meeting doctors, nurses, GPs, pharmacists and other health workers and heard wonderful stories about how they have gone above and beyond to deliver outstanding care for patients and cut waiting lists.
“But I have also heard about their frustrations and where they feel they are not able to deliver the best possible care or where prevention or early intervention could have made a real difference. That is why I am committed to making health and social care services faster, simpler and fairer.
“We face a difficult winter ahead. And though our early winter planning is seeing some results we know there is much more to do. But having seen what our excellent staff can do I am confident that with the government’s support we can continue to deliver for patients over the coming months.”
The Health and Social Care Secretary has committed to making health and social care services:
Faster for patients, by making it easier to get treatment locally, improving A&E performance and cutting waiting lists
Simpler for patients, with joined up, integrated care, and simpler for staff, by reducing bureaucracy and giving them the latest technology to free up their time to care for patients
Fairer, ensuring children are protected from health harms, that health outcomes are not determined by where you live, that government supports older people to maintain their independence for longer, and that government delivers a more productive NHS that is fairer for taxpayers.
She added that she would continue to work with the NHS to manage the ongoing winter pressures. The government prepared for winter earlier than ever before and data released by the NHS on Thursday shows the government is making good progress.
Compared to the same time last year, ambulance handover delays have fallen by 28%, thousands more 111 calls are being answered within 60 seconds, and there were nearly 1,500 more hospital beds available.
The Secretary of State said: “We face a difficult winter ahead. And though our early winter planning is seeing some results we know there is much more to do.
“But having seen what our excellent staff can do I am confident that with the government’s support we can continue to deliver for patients over the coming months.”
The Health and Social Care Secretary was appointed on 13 November. She has now set out her priorities in a week in which the government and NHS hit a number of major delivery milestones:
NHS England data published on Thursday showed there were 51,245 additional nurses in September 2023 compared to 2019 – hitting the government’s manifesto commitment to recruit an additional 50,000 nurses six months early.
NHS England data also showed that for the year to October 2023, there were 51 million additional general practice appointments delivered when compared to October 2019, meeting another manifesto commitment.
On Monday the government announced that it had put forward an offer that will modernise the consultant contract and reform consultants’ pay structure, paving the way to end consultant strikes. The British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association will put the deal to their memberships in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday the Secretary of State announced funding for a research project to evaluate the rollout of the hugely successful HIV opt-out testing programme to 46 new sites across England.
On Friday 1 December pharmacies across England began offering the new contraceptive services announced recently as part of Pharmacy First. This is part of the NHS and government’s Primary Care Recovery Plan, announced by the head of the NHS and the Prime Minister in May, which committed to making it quicker and easier for millions of people to access healthcare on their high street.
Scotland continues to “set the pace” when it comes to students from deprived areas getting into university, the Commissioner for Fair Access has said.
The Commissioner’s latest annual report said the Scottish Government’s approach has been an “unambiguous success” and that “all the fair access indicators are flashing green”, despite the impact of COVID-19. It marks Sir Peter Scott’s last report as Commissioner for Fair Access before stepping down.
A record 16.7% of students from Scotland’s most deprived 20% of communities were entrants on full-time first-year degree courses in 2020/21, an increase of 545 students compared with the previous year. This represents an increase of around 1,550 entrants (39%), during Sir Peter’s time as Commissioner.
Higher Education minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The Commissioner for Fair Access makes it clear that Scotland continues to set the pace in the UK in terms of fair access to higher education, with a record number of Scottish students from deprived areas enrolling in university for the first time.
“I would like to thank Sir Peter Scott for his contribution as Scotland’s first Fair Access Commissioner and pay tribute to the lasting legacy he will leave. We will consider the recommendations of the report carefully.
“While excellent progress has been made by our institutions, we cannot let up on the momentum in the face of the challenges that lie ahead.
“We believe every young person should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter their circumstances.”
UK and Scottish governments agree first stage of the Fiscal Framework Review
The UK Government and Scottish Government today agreed in principle the scope of the independent report that will inform the subsequent review of the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Framework.
During an in-person meeting in Westminster, Chief Secretary to HM Treasury Simon Clarke and the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Kate Forbes agreed to commission an independent report on the Block Grant Adjustment arrangements, including a call for stakeholder input, prior to a broader review of the Fiscal Framework. The Ministers will confirm these arrangements in writing.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said: “After our first in-person meeting it’s great that we’ve been able to get an agreement and can now get on with the Fiscal Framework Review and ensure fair and sustainable funding for Scotland’s future.
“We’re continuing to work together to tackle the big issues we face as a United Kingdom, including climate change, levelling up opportunities and supporting jobs.”
Scottish Finance Minister Kate Forbes said: “Today’s meeting was positive and I am glad that we are finally making some progress on the fiscal framework.
“I have reached an agreement in principle with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury which enables us to move without further delay towards commissioning the independent report, with the Fiscal Framework review itself beginning as close to the beginning of 2022 as possible.
“While the report will look only at the Block Grant Adjustments, we agreed that the review should have a wider scope, and involve input from parliamentary committees and wider stakeholders.”
The Chief Secretary also chaired a quadrilateral meeting that included Cabinet Secretary Kate Forbes, and finance ministers from Wales and Northern Ireland where they discussed Net Zero, creating jobs across the UK and recovering from the pandemic.
The City of Edinburgh Council has delivered sustained improvements over the last 12 months and is continuing to fulfil its longer-term commitments, according to new bench-marking reports.
Demonstrating the Council’s continued focus on investing, delivering and improving the services that matter most to residents, the city’s annual performance report reveals good progress in a number of key areas while also recognising there is room for improvement still to be made.
Elected members will discuss achievements to date – including improvements in road and waste services, reducing carbon emissions and increasing educational attainment – and how we are working to improve more areas at a meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Thursday (20 August).
Council Leader Adam McVey said: We’ve made a huge amount of progress over the last 12 months and the results of many of the changes we’ve introduced are clear to see.
“Thousands of new homes are being built, our road condition is getting better and educational attainment across our communities is improving. We’ve seen another significant drop in waste complaints and carbon emissions showing we can continue to improve our basic services while working towards our long term ambitions for Edinburgh. These figures show we’re recording better performance in many areas we know are important to residents.
“We’ll continue to work hard for our citizens and prioritise the issues that matter to them. We face a number of challenges which weren’t foreseen and our plans on how the City adapts to COVID will help us sustain progress, prioritise investment to drive down carbon emissions further and support those residents most in need.
“Despite the challenges which still lie ahead, we remain committed to building on all of the achievements we’ve made to date. With nearly two years until the next Council election we’re well on our way to achieving 48 of our 52 Coalition Commitments, having delivered plans for more classroom assistants and smashed our target for new trees with a net increase of more than 12,000 delivered so far.
“Major infrastructure improvements like the new Meadowbank Sports Centre and Tram to Newhaven are crucial to our City’s wellbeing and sustainable future as are the thousands of new low-carbon homes being built. COVID has shown us how fragile progress can be but it’s also shown us how much we can do with the will to do it.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “We deliver over 700 services every year for residents and visitors, from Council housing and care homes to making sure children receive the right start in life and the education they deserve.
“As we provide these services, our priority is to support our most vulnerable residents, focus on sustainable growth and address poverty – so I’m pleased to see a lot of improvements made in areas like health, the environment and education.
“While a great amount of progress has been made, there are still areas for improvement and we’re working to address these. The inequality gap still exists and we will continue to do all we can to make Edinburgh a more inclusive city, particularly as we recover from the COVID pandemic.
Alongside annual progress, we also need to look to the future. Our Coalition Commitments will put measures in place to make Edinburgh the fairer, greener City we are aspiring to.
The latest performance updates emerge from work the Council has carried out to focus improvements in line with the Council’s Change Strategy, Coalition Commitments and the results of the Edinburgh 2050 City Vision.
Amongst the highlights, the set of reports record:
ROADS AND WASTE • A drop in domestic missed bin collection requests, down >5,000 in just two years (17,690 vs 22,853 in 2017/18) • Almost all emergency road defects made safe within 24 hours (98% vs 95% in 2018/19) • Almost all priority road defects repaired within five days (94% vs 81% in 2018/19)
CARBON EMISSIONS • A reduction in Council and Edinburgh Leisure emissions (37% reduction to 2005 baseline)
SCHOOLS • More pupils achieving early level reading (84%) and school leaver literacy and numeracy (67.1%) targets • More school leavers heading into an initial positive destination (95.1%)
HOMES • A rise in new homes being built (3,006 projected for this year vs 1,832 in 2017/18) • A rise in new homes being approved (1,930 which is 230 above target vs 1,475 in 2017/18) • A decrease in repeat presentations of homelessness (5.5% vs 7.9% in 2017/18)
HEALTH • A downward trend in people delayed awaiting discharge from hospital (156 vs 267 in 2017/18) • A downward trend in the number of people waiting for a package of care in hospital (48 vs 151 in 2017/18)
CUSTOMER CARE • Increased customer satisfaction with the Council’s contact centre (76%) • Quicker processing of claims and grants, including half the time taken for benefit claims (16.75 days vs 30.9 in 2017/18)
COUNCIL COMMITMENTS Progress delivering Coalition Commitments (48 out of 52 fully or partially achieved), including successfully: • Increasing the number of classroom assistants and support staff for children with additional needs to improve attainment and wellbeing • Increasing allotment provision and support and expanding the network and the number of community gardens and food growing initiatives • Upgrading parks and planting an additional 1,000 trees in communities • Protecting Edinburgh World Heritage Status • Exploring the introduction of fair rent zones, a workplace parking levy and transient visitor levy (TVL) • Retaining Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Tram in public ownership • Continuing the Council’s policy of no compulsory redundancies.
