‘No time to waste’ – medical college urges MSPs to reform NHS

A medical college is calling on MSPs from all parties to work together to reform the NHS, warning there is “no time to waste”.

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh has said without cross-party support for the health service at Holyrood, the NHS is “unlikely to survive in its current form”.

The college is calling on parties to publish their plans for saving the NHS, ahead of the Scottish Parliament election on May 7.

Launching its health manifesto, it said if NHS funding levels remain unchanged, it will be increasingly difficult to “adequately fund all healthcare for everyone in Scotland, all of the time”.

Professor Andrew Elder, outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said this lack of funding could put the “free at the point of use” principle at risk.

He said: “This is a pivotal election for our NHS, and politicians must use this as an opportunity to be up-front with the public about the challenges it faces as part of a long promised ‘national conversation’.

“We cannot fund all healthcare for everyone in Scotland, all of the time, without NHS reform. That reform can only be achieved with cross-party support in the next Scottish Parliament. Without such cross-party support, the NHS is unlikely to survive in its current form.

“We need a plan for NHS reform backed by investment in the long-term future of the NHS and social care.

“We do not support privatisation, although we recognise that if the funding envelope available cannot be increased, the ‘free at the point of use’ NHS founding principle is at risk.”

The call comes as elective waiting lists for an outpatient appointment or treatment were estimated to be 517,415 as of December 31, 2025.

Waits of more than 52 weeks are at 37,930 for outpatients and 25,011 for inpatient/day-case treatment.

The college pointed to the Scottish Government’s pledge to eliminate waits longer than 12 months by March 2026.

In its health manifesto, the college is calling for range of measures, including action on delayed discharges, a medical workforce plan designed to attract more people to study medicine and stay in Scotland to practice it, and investment in, and integration of, adult social care.

It is also calling for specific action to address the current trends around ill health and persistent health inequalities in Scotland.

Prof Elder continued: “Politicians from every political party in Scotland must be ready to reform our NHS, by working together, from the first day after the election.

“We need a reset and there is no time to waste. If politicians can achieve consensus on healthcare reform in Denmark – a country with a similar population size, demographics and population health challenges – then why can’t they do it in Scotland?

“Remarkable innovation is happening across Scotland’s health and care sectors, led by talented and ambitious clinicians, academics and researchers. Our workforce can be empowered and they want to help lead change, but this can only happen if Scotland’s political parties work together to match these ambitions.

“Politicians can start by reaching a consensus on the problems that need to be solved in our NHS, then build a plan from there. But such a consensus can only be built by a ‘national conversation’, involving not only our politicians, but patients, the wider public, and the healthcare professions.

“The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is ready and willing to offer our expertise, on a cross-party basis, as part of the national conversation.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We will always protect the founding principles of the NHS – publicly owned and free at the point of need.

“We are investing a record £22.5 billion in health and social care this year – long waits have reduced for eight consecutive months, with new outpatient waits over a year halving since July and thousands more appointments, operations and procedures are being delivered this year.

“Our plan for the NHS is delivering.”