Health Secretary has set out how the Scottish
Government plans to improve access to treatment, reduce waiting
times and shift the balance of care from hospitals to primary
care through the publication of the Operational Improvement Plan.
Through the additional £200 million investment contained in the
Budget to reduce waiting times and improve flow through hospital,
we will create 150,000 extra appointments and procedures using
greater use of regional and national working.
By introducing a seven-day service in radiology, using mobile
scanning units and additional recruitment, 95% of referrals will
be seen within six weeks by March 2026, reducing backlogs in MRI,
CT, ultrasound and endoscopy procedures.
To improve flow in acute hospitals and support increases in
community care, we will expand Hospital at Home to at least 2,000
beds by the end of 2026, meaning the service, which provides
hospital level care in the comfort of the patients home, will
become the biggest hospital in Scotland. By this summer there
will be specialist staff in frailty teams in every A&E
department in Scotland. Flow Navigation Centres, which direct
patients to the most appropriate service for their condition,
will be able to refer patients to more services, reducing the
number of people who have to wait in A&E.
Investment in primary care will make it easier for people to see
a doctor, dentist, optometrist or community pharmacist, and £10.5
million will be invested in general practice to take targeted
action to prevent heart disease and frailty.
Digital services will be expanded to modernise services and
improve efficiency, with the Digital Front Door app launching in
Lanarkshire in December. This launch will be followed by a
national roll-out in 2026, allowing people to securely access
their hospital appointments, receive communications and find
local services. Over time it will be expanded to include social
care and community health services.
On a visit to Kirklands Hospital's Flow Navigation Centre, Health
Secretary said:
“This plan details how the Scottish Government will deliver a
more accessible NHS, with reductions to long-waits and the
pressures we currently see. It shows how we will use the £21.7
billion health and social care investment in the 2025-26 Budget
to deliver significant improvements for patients.
“We want to increase the number of appointments, speed up
treatment and make it easier to see a doctor. By better using
digital technology, we will embrace innovation and increase
efficiencies.
“This plan is ambitious but realistic, and builds on the
incredible work of our amazing health and social care staff
across our health boards, to deliver real change.”
Background
NHS Scotland Operational
Improvement Plan
Focusing on the short term, the Operational Improvement Plan
details specific commitments for NHS Scotland that build on the
wider delivery plans of Scotland's health boards. Supported by
increased investment in the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, the plan
focuses on four main areas:
- Improving access to treatment
- Shifting the balance of care from hospitals to primary care
- Improving access to health and social care services through
digital and technological innovation
- Working with people to prevent illness and more proactively
meet their needs.
Improving public services
and NHS renewal: First Minister's speech - 27 January 2025 -
gov.scot
Protecting, strengthening
and renewing the NHS - gov.scot
