Record number of hip and knee replacements at Scottish hospitals

A record number of hip and knee replacements were carried out at Scottish hospitals last year, new figures have shown.

Statistics from Public Health Scotland released on Tuesday show there were 17,399 hip or knee replacements in 2024 in NHS hospitals, compared to 15,170 the previous year and more than the pre-pandemic level of 15,908.

The number of procedures in independent hospitals also increased, from 4,917 in 2023 to 5,220.

The average length of stay required for patients undergoing procedures continued a decade-long trend of dropping, falling from five days in 2014 to 2.6 days last year.

During 2024, the figures also show there were 775 hip revision procedures and 415 for knees.

The figures were welcomed by First Minister John Swinney, who said on X: “More people than ever are getting the hip and knee operations they need.

“Planned NHS procedures are up, waiting times are down and hospital stays are getting shorter.

“Still more to do, but this is real progress – thanks to the hard work of NHS staff across Scotland.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Government needs to “go even further”.

“Really pleased to see record levels of hip and knee operations delivered by our NHS in 2024,” he said.

“I’m grateful to staff across Scotland for their efforts in improving delivery & outcomes for patients.

“We clearly need to go even further & investments expected to deliver more this year.”