Two-year waits for outpatient appointments reach record high

The number of Scots facing two-year waits for outpatient appointments has reached its highest level on record, latest figures show.

At the end of March this year, there were 5,262 waits which had exceeded two years, up by 3,930 from the same point in 2024.

Meanwhile, there were 63,406 waits which had been going on for more than one year as of March 31 2025 – a figure which was up by more than a third from the same point in 2024.

Overall, there were 559,742 waits for outpatient appointments at the end of March, down by 0.7% from the previous quarter but up by 3.9% over the preceding year.

Public Health Scotland also released figures for diagnostic waiting times which cover eight key tests, including endoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scans, MRI scans and non-obstetric ultrasound.

The total waiting list size for these stood at 142,747 at the end of March, up by 7.0% from the previous quarter.

However, the figure was down by 9,000 cases from the end of April last year.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “After nearly two decades of chronic SNP mismanagement, the backlog in our NHS has spiralled out of control.

“Nationalist ministers should be ashamed that one in six Scots are still languishing on a waiting list for treatment or diagnostic tests while it is a scandal that a record number of patients have been waiting for over two years.

“Dedicated NHS staff are working tirelessly to clear the backlog but Humza Yousaf’s flimsy Covid recovery plan and years of dire workforce planning has pushed them beyond breaking point and unable to meet demand.

“This inaction from the SNP is forcing desperate patients to raid their life savings to go private and put an end to these intolerable waits.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is encouraging and indeed a testament to our hardworking NHS staff that the statistics published this week are showing improvements in some outpatient, diagnostic and inpatient/day case waiting-times performance metrics.

“Our 2025-26 budget provides record funding of £21 billion for health and social care – with NHS boards receiving an additional £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge.

“Significant additional activity is now under way following this investment.

“We have already made good progress through our targeted funding approach.

“NHS boards have exceeded the commitment to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures in 2024-25, funded through our £30 million investment, with boards reporting delivery of 105,500 appointments and procedures.”