Health Secretary has
welcomed official figures that show sustained progress in
reducing waiting times.
Public Health Scotland statistics published today
demonstrate the waiting list for new
outpatients is down 12.9% compared to last year, with
the number of outpatient waits of more than a year dropping for
12 months in a row. More people are being treated for cancer on
time, within both 62 and 31 day standards, compared to
pre-pandemic and to 10 years ago. The median wait for treatment
after a decision to treat is just two days the joint lowest on
record.
Ms Constance said significant pressures remain at the
hospital front door, with A&E performance requiring
improvement and the NHS facing increases
in attendances and activity across a number of
services. She highlighted the need to continue to focus on
shifting the balance of care into communities, using initiatives
like GP walk-in services and Hospital at Home to ensure patients
get the right care, in the right place at the right time.
During a visit to Western General Hospital in Edinburgh
to learn more about cancer monitoring, Ms Constance
said:
These latest official figures illustrate that our exceptional NHS
workforce is treating more people across Scotland and dealing
with significant pressures in doing so.
Hospital activity is up and as a result we are seeing
long waits for operations coming down. Thanks to
our hard-working staff and targeted Scottish Government
investment, we are building more capacity. This is surpassing our
target to provide 150,000 additional appointments last year
and an additional 30,000 procedures in our network of
National Treatment Centres.
We know, however, that delivering better
care cannot be achieved simply by increasing
activity. Real long-term progress
will mean improving access to care on our doorstep and in
communities. It requires change in how we deliver social care and
address delayed discharges from hospitals.
In our first 100 days of government we will introduce a new
national plan for the flow of patients through hospital. We are
investing in more community care, including opening more GP
walk-in centres across the country and introducing heart and lung
MOTs. Prevention is better than cure and catching problems early
saves lives.
Background
In total, 7,225 cancer patients were treated in the first quarter
of 2026 on the 31-day standard, 13.1% higher than the quarter
ending 31 December 2019.
Stage of treatment waiting
times
Cancer waiting times
