NHS Lothian sign

Revealed: The £22m investment that’s revolutionising NHS waiting times

Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray has welcomed significant progress in reducing waiting times at NHS Lothian, confirming an additional £22 million in funding for the year ahead. The investment is part of a wider £106 million package to tackle the longest waits across Scotland’s NHS.

New figures show a 14% drop in inpatient and day case waiting lists across all specialties in NHS Lothian — from 26,462 in March 2024 to 22,762 in March 2025. The most notable reductions include:

  • Urology: down 27.9%
  • Gynaecology: down 20.6%
  • General surgery: down 19.6%
  • Orthopaedics: down 17.9%

During a visit to the Day Surgery Unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Health Secretary met with staff and patients to see first-hand how targeted investment is improving care. The unit performs 30–40 scheduled procedures daily, with a focus on same-day discharge — allowing many patients to return home from 2pm onwards.

Neil Gray, Scottish Health Secretary, said:

“This government is focussed on taking the action needed to cut waiting lists and we are determined to make it easier, faster and fairer for patients to get access to the treatment they need.

“I was pleased to meet the team at the Royal Infirmary’s Day Surgery Unit who are carrying out fantastic work to help target long waits and making significant progress.  We want to build on this success and drive that improvement across Scotland – our additional investment of £106 million support this work across all health boards.

“Figures published today show monthly A&E performance at its best since July 2023 and delayed discharge at its lowest since October 2023. Our plan to improve our NHS is working and we will build on this progress by increasing capacity and investing to tackle the longest waits to ensure patients get faster access to care.”

NHS Lothian QUOTE

The unit handles a wide range of procedures across five key specialties, including gynaecology, general surgery, vascular, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics. In the past year alone, it has carried out around 4,500 procedures.

 

Image credit: iStock

Issue 104

NHE Issue 104

Join the conversation shaping the future of healthcare.

Click below to read more!

More articles...

View all
Online conferences

Presenting

2025 Online Conferences

In partnership with our community of health sector leaders responsible for delivering the UK's health strategy across the NHS and the wider health sector, we’ve devised a collaborative calendar of conferences and events for industry leaders to listen, learn and collaborate through engaging and immersive conversation. 

All our conferences are CPD accredited, which means you can gain points to advance your career by attending our online conferences. Also, the contents are available on demand so you can re-watch at your convenience.

National Health Executive Podcast

Listen to industry leaders on everything within healthcare

Whether it's the latest advancements in medical technology, healthcare policies, patient care innovations, or the challenges facing healthcare providers, we cover it all.

 

Join us as we engage with top healthcare professionals, industry leaders, and policy experts to bring you insightful conversations that matter.