"Our plan is delivering" - Health Secretary.
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 Parliament reveal.
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 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.”
Background
In April 2024, the Scottish Government
announced £30 million, allocated for Q1 of this financial
year, to tackle waiting times. The Scottish Government pledged to
deliver around; 12,000 additional procedures, 40,000 extra
diagnostic procedures and 12,000 new outpatient appointments.
NHS Boards have provided regular management progress reports to
Scottish Government on the activity delivered through the
additional funding. These reports are the data source for the
75,500 figure.
Stage of treatment waiting
times - Inpatients, day cases and new outpatients quarter ending
30 September 2024
Diagnostic waiting times -
Waits for key diagnostic tests 26 November 2024
Written question and
answer: S6W-35115 | Scottish Parliament Website
