The NHS in Scotland is set to deliver more than 300,000 additional appointments and procedures this year, thanks to a £110 million investment aimed at reducing waiting times and improving patient access to care.
The funding includes £106 million from the 2025–26 Budget and an additional £4 million announced today for dermatology services. This boost is expected to significantly exceed Scotland’s Programme for Government commitment of 150,000 extra appointments.
The investment will support a wide range of services, including:
- 195,000 imaging scans
- 31,000 inpatient or day-case procedures
- 88,000 new outpatient appointments
- 4,100 new dermatology outpatient appointments
This represents 213,000 more appointments than were delivered in 2024/25.
A portion of the funding will also be allocated to cancer care and critical supporting services, such as pathology, diagnostic reporting and pre-assessment services.
Neil Gray, Scottish Health Secretary, said:
“Reducing long waits in the NHS is one of the biggest priorities for the First Minister and the Scottish Government. Our record investment in the NHS this year is allowing us to target specific areas that are experiencing long waits, reducing backlogs and getting people the appointments and treatments they need as quickly as possible.
“I am pleased to confirm that we expect the additional funding committed to reduce waiting times to result in more than 300,000 appointments and procedures this year. My thanks go out to all the hard-working NHS teams for their continued efforts.
“Also today I am announcing an additional £4 million specifically for dermatology. We know that this is an area with significant backlogs, so by investing in increased capacity we hope to be able to reduce waiting times for this speciality.”
These enhancements are designed to streamline patient pathways, reduce delays, and ensure timely diagnoses and treatments.
Health leaders say the investment will help tackle the backlog caused by the pandemic and ongoing pressures on the NHS, while improving outcomes for patients across the country.
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