Health Secretary hails ‘undeniable progress' in tacking long
waits.
New figures show wating lists in Scotland continue to fall with
waits of over a year decreasing for 8 consecutive months.
Data from Public Health Scotland shows, at 31 January 2026, new
outpatient waits of more than 52 weeks have more than halved
since July 2025 – with the total waits decreasing by 52.6% in
that period.
Long waits for inpatient and day case procedures have also fallen
every month since July 2025, with 52 week waits decreasing by
29.8% in that 8 month period.
New quarterly diagnostics statistics also show that, at 31
December 2025, the number of waits for one of the eight key
diagnostic tests had decreased by 15.1% when compared to 30
September 2025.
The figures also show diagnostic activity has risen - 245,377
diagnostic tests were completed from September 2025 to December
2025, a 10.2% (22,741) increase in activity when compared to the
same quarter last year. This means thousands of patients
receiving their MRIs, scans and scopes quicker to support faster
diagnosis and referral onto the right patient pathway.
On a visit to the dermatology department at the Lauriston
Building in NHS Lothian, where new outpatient waits over 52 weeks
have fallen by more than 46%, Health Secretary said:
“We are making undeniable progress in clearing waits of over a
year – we are demonstrating consistent month-on-month
improvement. We know there is still more to do but these latest
figures show that our plan is working and our NHS is turning a
corner.
“We continue to see downward trends across nearly all waiting
list indicators and diagnostic activity is up – this means
thousands more people getting their MRIs, scans and scopes
quicker.
“Our targeted funding for this year is delivering thousands more
operations and procedures and appointments compared to last year,
and we are determined to build on this momentum. This progress
has been driven by our dedicated and hard-working NHS staff. I
thank them for their outstanding efforts.
“I was pleased to meet the dermatology team at the Lauriston
Building to hear how they are driving progress in clearing waits
at NHS Lothian. The total list size for new outpatient waits of
more than 52 weeks has reduced by 46.4% since July 2025, with
dermatology waits reducing by 67.78% in that period. This is
outstanding progress that we want to see replicated across the
country.”
Background
Diagnostics statistics
Stages of Treatment
statistics
