Health expert condemns 'disgraceful' NHS in Scotland as figures show 780,000 awaiting treatment

Almost 780,000 Scots found themselves on an NHS waiting list for an appointment, treatment or test, new figures show.

Statistics published on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland show a rise in the number of people waiting, from 772,887 on 31 December to 779,533 as of 31 March.

Some 479,725 people were waiting for an outpatient appointment on 31 March, an increase of 0.5% (2,617) from 31 December and 14.5% higher than the same date last year.

It comes as Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane condemned this figure as "horrific", as he calls on the Health Secretary to publish a new NHS recovery plan.

Since March 2020 - the beginning of lockdowns in response to the pandemic in the UK - the waiting list has grown by 87%.

A Scottish Government target aims to ensure 95% of patients are seen within 12 weeks.

Of those waiting, 31,498 people had been on the list for treatment longer than one year for their procedure, the figures show.

Meanwhile, 147,241 patients were on the waiting list for inpatient or day case treatment, up by 1.9% (2,724) from December, 12.6% higher than the same date last year and 89.8% higher than before the pandemic.

Of those waiting, 6,985 people had been on the list for longer than two years, despite a government target of patients waiting no more than 12 weeks following a decision to treat.

The number of people waiting for one of eight key diagnostic tests also increased by 2.9% since December, rising to 152,567.

According to the figures, 47.9% of those waiting exceeded the six-week government target.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the "horrific" figures "underline the legacy of Humza Yousaf's disastrous stewardship of Scotland's NHS", calling on the Health Secretary to publish a new NHS recovery plan.

He added: "It is disgraceful that close to 800,000 Scots are languishing on an NHS waiting list - and things are only getting worse.

"We know that if patients suffer lengthy delays for appointments or crucial diagnostic tests, the greater the risk is to their health. In the worst-case scenarios, these delays lead to needless deaths.

"Humza Yousaf's flimsy NHS recovery plan isn't worth the paper it was published on.

"He has left an almighty mess for Michael Matheson to clear up. Instead of focusing on pushing for another divisive independence referendum, the SNP's relentless focus should be on driving these waiting times down."

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