Almost £22.5 billion is being allocated to health and social care as part of the Scottish Government’s draft 2026–27 budget, supporting a stronger, more resilient NHS and ensuring continued progress in reducing long waits for treatment.
NHS Boards will receive an uplift in their baseline funding, bringing total investment to over £17.6 billion, equivalent to a 1.8% real‑terms increase. This enhanced funding will allow health boards to expand clinical capacity, including the continued rollout of Hospital at Home, which will grow to at least 2,000 beds by the end of the calendar year. The approach aims to provide acute‑level care in people’s own homes, helping to ease pressure on hospitals and improve patient outcomes.
The budget also includes £2.4 billion for primary care, supporting improvements to local access and frontline services. This investment features £36 million for new walk‑in GP services and a £531 million three‑year deal to help General Practice recruit additional GPs, enhance patient access and modernise services.
A further £40 million will be directed to sport and physical activity, expanding opportunities for people to stay active and improve long‑term health outcomes.
In social care, the budget confirms £2.3 billion of investment, surpassing the government’s commitment to increase spending by 25% by the end of this Parliament. This funding aims to strengthen social care sustainability, improve workforce capacity and deliver better support for people who rely on care services daily.
Neil Gray, Scottish Health Secretary, said:
“We want the people of Scotland to live healthier, longer lives. To do this, our services have to be accessible, efficient, and better tailored to people’s needs -whether at home, in the community, or in hospital.
“Our health and social care services still face challenges and that is why we will continue reform, focussing on prevention, reducing waiting times, improving access, and shifting the balance of care to communities. Our plans for walk-in GP services are backed by £36 million and will look to provide additional same-day access for communities.
“Despite ongoing pressures on services, recent statistics from Public Health Scotland show progress is being made, with a 12.8% fall in the number of waits over 52 weeks for a new outpatient appointment between October and November 2025 and a 5.3% increase in the number of operations carried out in the 12 months to November 2025.
“I firmly believe our NHS has turned a corner and this draft budget will enable us to build on this improvement.”
Together, these increased allocations underline a multi‑year plan to create a more sustainable and integrated health and social care system – one that prioritises prevention, expands capacity and continues to drive down waiting times across Scotland.
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