An Edinburgh MP has warned that long NHS waiting times are having a serious impact on women across the Lothians, as concerns grow about a two-tier healthcare system emerging in Scotland.
Private healthcare admissions in Scotland recently hit a record high, raising fresh concerns that patients are increasingly being pushed to pay for treatment due to long NHS wait times.
Tracy Gilbert MP says these delays are particularly affecting women, who are often left waiting the longest for treatment, including for gynaecological conditions and diagnostic tests.
Edinburgh North and Leith MP Tracy Gilbert said:“Across Edinburgh and the Lothians, too many women are being left waiting far too long for the care they need.
“For many women, these delays aren’t just frustrating; they mean months or even years living with pain, uncertainty or conditions that are affecting their daily lives.
“When people feel forced to consider paying privately just to be seen sooner, it raises serious concerns about a two-tier system emerging in our NHS.
“Women across Scotland deserve timely, high-quality care through our NHS, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Sustained improvement in mental health care for children and young people
Scotland has met its Programme for Government commitment on specialist children’s mental health waiting times, with new statistics confirming that 90% of children and young people referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) started treatment within 18 weeks of referral by the December 2025 target date.
The Scottish Government has invested significantly in CAMHS over the past decade, with staffing increasing by 53%. The commitment to fund 320 additional CAMHS posts by 2026 has been exceeded, increasing capacity for cases by over 10,000.
CAMHS provides specialist NHS support for children and young people with serious mental health needs. To provide alternatives to this specialist service, over £80 million has been invested in community mental health services, plus £16 million a year for school counselling. From this year, £15 million annually will go to local authorities to maintain community-based support for children and young people who need it.
CAMHS waiting times of over 18 weeks are now at their lowest level since June 2013 and CAMHS targets have been met consistently for over a year.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “Meeting our Programme for Government commitment on the CAMHS waiting times standard by the December 2025 target is a real and meaningful achievement.
“It has been made possible by the hard work and dedication of NHS staff across Scotland who support children, young people and their families through some of the most difficult times of their lives.
“The progress is sustained and it is clear — waiting lists are at historic lows with over 52 week waits dropping by over 30% in the last year and half of all young people referred are being seen within five weeks.
“I am encouraged by the real progress that has been made in recent months to clear backlogs and we will continue to work closely with those NHS Boards where some challenges remain over the next few months as they complete this work.
“Despite progress, there is more to do, and we remain committed to supporting all NHS Boards to sustain and build on this momentum.”
Up to £20 million made available to boards to boost progress
Waiting lists continue to fall in Scotland with waits over 52 weeks reducing for 7 months in a row.
New figures from Public Health Scotland show at 31 December 2025 new outpatient waits of more than 52 weeks had reduced by 15.4% when compared to November 2025. These waits have reduced every month since July 2025 with total waits over 52 weeks down by 40.1% in that period.
The data also shows long waits for inpatient and daycase procedures have fallen every month since July 2025, with 52 week waits decreasing by 23.9% in that period.
New operation statistics also show an increase in activity in the last year – between January 2025 and December 2025 the number of operations carried out increased by 5.6% compared to the same period the year before. A total of 274,638 procedures were carried out in this period.
To further build on this progress, extra funding of up to £20 million is being made available to health boards for the current year.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “These latest figures show our plan is delivering for the people of Scotland and our NHS has turned a corner – we are seeing sustained progress in reducing waiting times with activity also increasing compared to last year.
“Thousands more appointments, operations and procedures are being delivered this year and we are determined to continue to build on this momentum, ensuring people receive the treatment they need as soon as possible.
“We are seeing downward trends across nearly all waiting list indicators which shows our targeted investment this year is having a real impact on people’s lives. None of this would be possible without out hard-working NHS staff and I want to thank each and every one of them for the progress they are delivering.”
FASTER CARE FOR THOUSANDS THROUGH NHS USE OF INDEPENDENT SECTOR
A total of 6.15 million appointments, tests and operations were delivered by independent providers for NHS patients this year.
The almost 500,000 increase on last year is helping to cut waiting times, free up NHS capacity and deliver national renewal through the government’s Plan for Change
Patients able to cut waiting times by up to five months by switching to nearby hospital with shorter queues.
Hundreds of thousands of people are receiving faster care thanks to the Labour government’s partnership with the private sector, which is helping provide the treatment they need to get back on their feet – free at the point of use.
More than 6 million tests and operations for NHS patients were delivered by independent healthcare providers over the past year – almost 500,000 more than last year.
Independent healthcare providers delivered an average of 19,000 surgical procedures and 100,000 outpatient appointments every week this financial year – helping to treat more than 1.1 million people
This is all part of the drive to use every resource available to stop patients suffering on the unacceptably long waiting lists this government inherited – which have now fallen by 206,000 over the past year.
Using spare capacity in the private sector is central to the government’s goal that 92% of patients in England should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment – which is fundamental to delivering the renewal this country needs.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I’ll do everything I can to get NHS patients treated faster, free at the point of use.
“This is a principled, progressive position, not just a pragmatic one. We’re not prepared to continue two-tier healthcare, when those who can afford it get treated on time, and those who can’t are left behind. Wealth shouldn’t determine health.
“This is just one reform which has helped deliver 5 million more appointments, grown NHS productivity, and cut waiting lists by 200,000.
“We are also investing in growing the NHS capacity, opening up CDCs and operating theatres at evenings and weekends, and bringing in modern technology like robotic surgery. Through investment and relentless reform, we will make sure every patient is treated on time, not just those who can afford to pay.”
The partnership with the private sector comes alongside the other UK government measures to cut waiting times and expand NHS capacity in England, including:
Opening more Community Diagnostic Centres seven days a week, 12 hours a day. They have delivered over 8.7 million diagnostic tests since July 2024, closer to where people live, freeing up hospitals.
Opening new 22 new surgical hubs and expanding a further 12.
Introducing a national programme of weekend High-Intensity Theatre (HIT) lists once a month in 50 hospitals to get through a week’s worth of planned operations in a day
Setting up NHS Online, which will deliver up to 8.5 million appointments in its first three years and allow patients to digitally connect to expert clinicians anywhere in England.
The partnership with the independent sector strengthens the commitment set out in the 10 Year Health Plan to boost patients right to choose where they are treated, with new research showing patients are cutting their wait for an NHS operation by up to five months by switching to a nearby hospital with shorter queues.
Sir Jim Mackey, NHS Chief Executive, said: “The independent sector is playing a vital role in supporting our efforts to bring down waiting lists and ensure patients can get the NHS care they need faster.
“Thanks to the ambition and hard work of NHS teams, we are seeing early signs of progress with waiting lists falling for the first time in years – but we are determined to go further and faster to improve patients’ experiences and this data shows clearly that maximising use of this capacity is an approach that is working for patients.”
Research from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), alongside the Patients Association and Arthritis UK, found patients need to travel on average just under 13 miles – typically under 30 minutes by car – to cut over two and a half months off their waiting time for treatment.
For particular treatments, patients can cut their wait even further. For example, in the South East, patients requiring general surgery such as a hernia operation could cut their wait from an average of 27 weeks to just 6 weeks – a reduction of almost five months – by travelling from the areas with the longest waiting times to shortest.
David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said: “These latest figures demonstrate just how important the independent sector is in providing much-needed NHS treatment – delivering around 10% of all NHS elective activity, and a record amount of appointments, tests and scans – all free at the point of use to patients.
“In committing to better commissioning, patient choice and clear incentives, the recent NHS & Independent Sector Partnership is having real benefits to patients and by sticking to these principles, the Government and the independent sector can continue to drive down NHS waiting lists long into the future.”
Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Arthritis UK said: “Thousands of people with arthritis in need of life changing hip and knee replacements are waiting in unnecessary pain.
“We know that the longer people wait, the more impact this has on their lives and causes a further deterioration in their joints which results in more complicated and expensive surgery and too often worse health outcomes.
“Promoting patient choice, including being able to be treated by independent providers, is therefore an important tool which may ensure that people can get faster access to the treatment they so desperately need.”
Sarah Tilsed, Head of Partnerships and Involvement, The Patients Association: “It’s encouraging to see more patients receiving the care they need sooner, with over six million NHS appointments, tests, and operations delivered through the independent sector in the past year.
£Every patient who has their treatment brought forward no longer has their life on pause and is able to take the next step in their care journey.
“As the NHS continues working to reduce the backlog, it’s vital that patients are supported with clear information and real choice about their options. Using all available capacity to deliver care sooner is essential, as long as patients are well informed of their right to choose and feel in control of their care journey.”
All figures above relate to the period September 2024 to August 2025
Independent healthcare providers deliver NHS care free at the point of use under contract to the NHS
7.6 MILLION people were on NHS England waiting lists last month
Latest figures highlight 146 children waiting more than a year for mental health treatment, says SCSC
For the third consecutive quarter in a row, there has been continued progress on waiting times for children and young people’s mental health care.
From April to June this year, 91.8% of those referred to CAMHS were seen within 18 weeks, according to the latest statistics from Public Health Scotland. This is a slight increase from 91.6% in the previous quarter, and above the national standard of 90%.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the continued progress in these services – staff across Scotland are working hard to ensure children and young people are getting the support they need when they need it, and I am grateful for their continued dedication.
“We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026, and this will have contributed to the improvements we are seeing.
“However, I am aware there is still more to do to ensure standards are consistent across the country and we are supporting all NHS Boards to meet the standard and continue development in the delivery of CAMHS and all mental health services.”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for parity of action and parity of spend as new figures highlight 146 children and young people have been waiting more than a year for mental health treatment in Scotland.
These figures were highlighted in the latest waiting time statistics from Public Health Scotland published today (2nd September), indicating that 146 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the quarter ending June 2025.1
Additionally, 271 individuals have been waiting for between nine months and a year for treatment.
The figures come out following a Freedom of Information request to NHS Boards that found that in 2024/25, a patient in NHS Highland waited 1189 days – more than three years – for treatment by CAMHS, and in NHS Tayside, a patient has been waiting 1,137 days to start treatment. 2
The Scottish Government’s target, dating back to December 2014, states that 90 per cent of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS.
This comes against the background of a mental health emergency, with an increasing demand on services, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with overstretched and under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand.
However, it should be noted that despite this greatly increased demand, only 0.82 per cent of the total frontline NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2023/24 financial year, amounting to £134.188 million (real terms). This equates to just 82p in every £100 of the NHS budget. 3
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures highlighting that 146 children and young people have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment are extremely alarming.
“While the fact that the Scottish Government is meeting its waiting time target is to be welcomed, many children and young people are still waiting years for help, which worsens their mental health and is a sure-fire way to add to their pain.
“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.”
In response to today’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services figures, chief executive of Children First Mary Glasgow said: “Today’s figures show the importance of keeping the spotlight on children’s mental health.
“The reduction in waiting times is welcome, but while four months is the target, it is still too long, especially when children are suffering in severe distress.
“By urgently investing in more early help and support the Scottish Government can prevent children reaching a point of emergency.
“Every day our support line and our teams across Scotland hear from children and young people with high levels of worry and anxiety coming to us desperate for help.”
“If you are worried about your child our friendly support line team is here for you on 08000 28 22 33.”
51,400 older people endured dangerous 12 hour waits in Scotland’s A&Es last year
Extreme long waits in Emergency Departments across Scotland are a political responsibility that can no longer be ignored as more than 51,400 older patients endured stays of 12 hours or more last year – the worst on record.
New analysis from the Royal College of Emergency (RCEM) reveals in major EDs, one in every eight patients (51,423) aged 60 or over waited more than 12 hours to be transferred, admitted or discharged in 2024.
That’s 14,407 more patients than the year before (2023).
And is over 16 times more people than in 2019 when just 3,135 older people endured waits of this length.
The figures, obtained by RCEM via Freedom of Information requests to Public Health Scotland, also reveal that, concerningly, the older a patient is the longer they are likely to wait in A&E.
People aged 70-79 have a 12% chance of waiting 12 hours or more – almost 16 times higher than it was in 2019.
Meanwhile, people aged 80-89 have a 16% chance of enduring extreme waits, and the likelihood rises to 19% for those aged 90 and above.
Compare that to patients aged 18-29, whose average likelihood of experiencing a 12-hour wait last year was just 2.2%.
Older patients often arrive to the Emergency Department with more complicated or multiple health issues.
This, when combined with the inability to admit them onto a ward due to the lack of available in-patient beds, means older people can become stuck in Emergency Departments – enduring extreme long waits, often on trolleys in corridors.
And when patients do finally get admitted, they often find themselves stranded in hospital, unable to go home when they are well enough to leave, frequently due to a lack of available social care support.
Public Health Scotland recently revealed that in 2024/25, there was a record 720,119 days spent in hospital by patients whose discharge was delayed – 474,153 of which were experienced by people aged 75 or over. This accounted for two out of every three (66%) delayed discharge bed days.
Dr Fiona Hunter, Vice President of RCEM Scotland, said, “This data is both shocking and shameful, and it is abundantly clear that older people are bearing the brunt of a system in crisis.
“Hundreds of thousands of dearly loved people – great-grandparents, grandmas, grandads, parents – forced to experience extreme long stays in our Emergency Departments every year mainly because we don’t have enough in-patient beds to admit them to when they need one.
“Often enduring these waits on trolleys in areas that aren’t designed to deliver care in – corridors or even cupboards.
“It’s a failure of the system. It’s unacceptable, it’s dangerous and it’s putting lives at risk.
“Enough is enough. The government can’t ignore the ongoing crisis our Emergency Departments – the workforce and patients – continue to face day in, day out.
“We all deserve an Urgent and Emergency Care system that works as it should and not letting people, our most vulnerable, down when they need it most.”
Dr Bob Caslake, Chair of the BGS Scotland Council, said, “This report highlights the urgent attention that is needed across the health and social care system to allow older people to access the care they need at the time they need it.
“The current waiting times faced by older people in Emergency Departments are unacceptable, and reducing these delays is a matter of equity, dignity, and patient safety.”
Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said, “It is disappointing that this information is not routinely collected, analysed and published and it is unacceptable to see so many older people waiting hours — sometimes days — in A&E wards for the care they need.
“These older people are often living with frailty, dementia, and multiple other health conditions. They deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.
“Long waits for care are neither dignified nor compassionate and can also lead to serious harm. This is not the standard of care we should accept for our parents, grandparents, or neighbours.
“With the numbers of older people in Scotland in need of care expected to increase dramatically, we urgently need a system that prioritises timely treatment and supports frontline staff in delivering the respect and care our older population deserves.”
The figures come after the Royal College of Emergency Medicine published a report earlier this year looking at the care older people, aged 75 and over, receive in Emergency Departments across the UK.
Titled ‘Care of Older People 2023-24’, the research found there was insufficient screening for three common conditions which primarily affect this age group, including delirium and for general frailty.
Investing in additional capacity across health service
Extra investment to tackle NHS waits is expected to deliver more than 300,000 appointments and procedures this year.
Additional funding of £106 million was set out in the 2025-26 Budget, and an extra £4 million for dermatology activity has been announced today.
The additional planned appointments and procedures delivered through this £110 million are expected to break down as follows.
195,000 imaging scans
31,000 inpatient or day-case procedures
88,000 new outpatient appointments
4,100 new dermatology outpatient appointments
This means 213,000 more appointments are expected to be delivered this year than in 2024/25 – exceeding the Programme for Government commitment of delivering 150,000 appointments by more than 60,000.
A proportion of the funding will also support cancer activity and provide critical supporting services including pathology, diagnostic reporting and pre-assessment.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Reducing long waits in the NHS is one of the biggest priorities for the First Minister and the Scottish Government.
“Our record investment in the NHS this year is allowing us to target specific areas that are experiencing long waits, reducing backlogs and getting people the appointments and treatments they need as quickly as possible.
“I am pleased to confirm that we expect the additional funding committed to reduce waiting times to result in more than 300,000 appointments and procedures this year.
“My thanks go out to all the hard-working NHS teams for their continued efforts.
“Also today I am announcing an additional £4 million specifically for dermatology. We know that this is an area with significant backlogs, so by investing in increased capacity we hope to be able to reduce waiting times for this speciality.”
Additional funding to build on progress in clearing longest waits
Health Secretary Neil Gray has welcomed progress in reducing waiting lists at NHS Lothian as he confirmed the health board will be allocated an additional £22 million for the year ahead – as part of a £106 million investment across the NHS to tackle the longest waits.
Latest figures show a 14% decrease last year in inpatient/daycase waits for all specialties at NHS Lothian – down from 26,462 at 31 March 2024 to 22,762 at 31 March 2025.
The reduction in ongoing waits was driven by reductions in:
General surgery -19.6%
Gynaecology -20.6%
Orthopaedics -17.9%
Urology -27.9%
On a visit to the Day Surgery Unit at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Health Secretary met with staff and patients and saw first-hand the positive impact Scottish Government investment is having on waits. The Day Surgery Unit carries out 30 – 40 scheduled procedures every day – this helps allow patients to leave for home from 2pm onwards with a focus on same day discharge.
A huge variety of procedures are performed with patients from a mix of five specialties, including gynaecology, general surgery, vascular, neurosurgery and orthopaedics. Last year, around 4,500 procedures were carried out by the Unit.
Mr Gray said: “This government is focussed on taking the action needed to cut waiting lists and we are determined to make it easier, faster and fairer for patients to get access to the treatment they need.
“I was pleased to meet the team at the Royal Infirmary’s Day Surgery Unit who are carrying out fantastic work to help target long waits and making significant progress. We want to build on this success and drive that improvement across Scotland – our additional investment of £106 million support this work across all health boards.
“Figures published today show monthly A&E performance at its best since July 2023 and delayed discharge at its lowest since October 2023. Our plan to improve our NHS is working and we will build on this progress by increasing capacity and investing to tackle the longest waits to ensure patients get faster access to care.”
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.”
More than 105,500 appointments and procedures were delivered by health boards last year through an additional £30 million of targeted investment – exceeding a pledge to carry out 64,000 appointments by the end of March 2025.
The funding was targeted at the longest waits and, as seen in latest published data, there have been reductions in waiting lists across a number of specialities. Between March 2024 and December 2024 there has been:
a 71% decrease in waits for Scopes at NHS Ayrshire & Arran
a 52% decrease in Imaging waits at NHS Fife
a 28% decrease in Ophthalmology waits at NHS Lothian
a 23% decrease in Urology waits at NHS Lanarkshire
a 10% decrease in Orthopaedic waits at NHS Highland.
Latest published statistics also show improved waiting times performance with diagnostic waits at their lowest since October 2021.
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 the end of the year.
By March 2025, 10,700 surgeries and 15,800 outpatients appointments were delivered. Almost 79,000 diagnostic procedures took place – delivering almost double the original pledge of 40,000.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “We have delivered on our promise, exceeding our original target of 64,000 by more than 41,000 procedures – we have carried out nearly double the amount of diagnostic procedures originally pledged, with diagnostic waits now at the their lowest since October 2021.
“This is testament to hard work and dedication of our NHS staff and I thank them for their outstanding efforts.
“This is welcome progress and shows we are moving in the right direction. But we know many people are still waiting too long and we are determined do more. That is why we are investing record amounts in our health service, targeting waiting list backlogs and delivering 150,000 additional appointments.
“This government is focussed on taking the action needed to cut waiting lists and make it easier for patients to get access to the treatment they need. Next week the First Minister will publish our Programme for Government, setting out how we will build on recent progress and further reduce patient waits in the year ahead.”
