First instalment of £300 million to reduce waiting times

First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced an initial £30 million of targeted investment for Q1 of the new financial year, as part of a £300 million plan over the next three years, to help reduce inpatient and day-case waiting lists.

Backed by planned additional investment, this targeted approach will help drive down waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over three years.

Visiting the National Treatment Centre in Fife, one year on since its official opening, First Minister Humza Yousaf said:

“As I set out last October, we are committed to accelerating treatment in our NHS and reducing inpatient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over the next three years, backed by planned investment of an extra £100 million annually.

“This initial investment of £30 million will target reductions to national backlogs that built up through the pandemic, including orthopaedic treatment, diagnostics for cancer referrals and patients with the longest waits.

“This is all part of our programme to drive up productivity and tackle waiting lists, supported by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery. Together, our actions will further enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.”

Background

In October 2023, the First Minister announced annual funding of £100 million to help reduce inpatient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over three years, subject to the annual Scottish Budget setting process. An initial investment can now be funded as part of our on-going management of the Scottish Budget. In-year revisions to the 2024-25 Scottish Budget are subject to parliamentary approval in the usual way.

National Treatment Centre (NTC) Fife, situated in Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, has created additional capacity for around 540 orthopaedic joints in its first year and will provide additional capacity for around 700 orthopaedic procedures a year including hip and knee surgery by 2025-26. It includes an orthopaedic outpatients department, three surgical theatres and a ward and short stay unit.