NHS treatment sees further drop in year-long waits

Public Health Scotland reports nearly 63,000 waits of more than 12 months for inpatient and outpatient care, a 10% fall from the previous month, and separate data show operations rose 5.6% to 274,638 last year.

Public Health Scotland's latest monthly figures show a continued fall in the number of people waiting more than 12 months for inpatient and outpatient NHS treatment. The report recorded nearly 63,000 year-long waits, a drop of 10% from the previous month, and noted that long waits have fallen each month since July. Around one in nine people in Scotland are on a waiting list, with most awaiting outpatient care and about a quarter awaiting inpatient or day‑case admission. The Scottish government has pledged to eradicate waits over a year by next month and has provided additional funding to health boards this year and previously allocated more than £100m to specialties with the longest waits. Key figures: - Nearly 63,000 waits of more than 12 months for inpatient and outpatient treatment, reported as a 10% fall from the previous month. - About one in nine people in Scotland are estimated to be on a waiting list; most are awaiting outpatient services and about a quarter are awaiting inpatient or day‑case admission. - Long waits for outpatient, inpatient and day‑case procedures have fallen every month since July, according to the report. - Operations carried out last year rose by 5.6% to 274,638, as reported in a separate Public Health Scotland release. - The government has offered up to £20m extra funding to health boards this year and earlier allocated more than £100m to high‑wait specialties such as orthopaedics and ophthalmology. - Health Secretary Neil Gray said the NHS had "turned a corner" and thanked staff for their work, as reported. Summary: The data indicate a steady reduction in year‑long waits alongside an increase in operations over the past year, and the government has reiterated its pledge to eliminate waits over a year by next month. Royal College of GPs representatives reported that about a quarter of GP time is spent supporting patients who are waiting for specialist care, which they described as placing significant pressure on general practice.