In Scotland, the pledge to carry out 64,000 surgeries and procedures by the end of March 2025 has been exceeded.
More than 75,500 NHS surgeries and procedures were delivered between April 2024 the end of January 2025, which is around 11,500 more than pledged.
The boost has been funded through £30 million of investment and has resulted 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 per cent decrease in Imaging waits at NHS Fife; a 22 per cent decrease in Urology waits at NHS Forth Valley; a 19 per cent decrease in Ear, Nose and Throat waits at NHS Highland. Meanwhile, there has been an almost 15 per cent decrease in Ophthalmology waits at NHS Lanarkshire and an almost 10 per cent decrease in General Surgery waits at NHS Lothian.
In April 2024, the Scottish Government funded NHS boards to deliver 64,000 procedures by March 2025. By January 2025, 56,500 diagnostic procedures, almost 9,200 surgeries, and over 9,800 outpatient appointments took place.
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.”
