The Scottish government has identified the specialties to receive a share of £106m to help tackle the longest waits for NHS procedures and operations.

The funding to be distributed across health boards accounts for more than half of the £200m committed to improve NHS capacity, discharge and patient flow announced in the programme for government.

The £106m has been assigned to speciality areas for 2025-26 where it is predicted to have the greatest impact on the longest waits – with trauma and orthopaedics seeing the largest share at £25m.

Around £21m will go to NHS imaging services after information from health boards this March revealed NHS Scotland is relying on older diagnostic kit, with one in three for diagnostic imaging machines over a decade old.

Around £12m will go towards improving access to ophthalmology services.

Meanwhile, amid reports of rising Scottish cancer cases over the next 20 years, the funding announcement brings £14m for cancer treatment services.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray said the government is “determined to reduce patient waits” in the year ahead.

He said this funding will help deliver the 150,000 additional appointments and procedures pledged by the First Minister last month.

This also comes a week after Public Health Scotland figures revealed that waits over two years for NHS specialist outpatient appointments and treatment have reached their highest level recorded.

Mr Gray says the investment is focused on reducing waiting times and come as just part of the government’s wider commitment to deliver health and social car reform:

“This government is focussed on taking the action needed to cut waiting lists – significant activity is already underway through this additional investment which will help us target the longest waits for treatment.

“Last year, health boards vastly exceeded the commitment to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures – instead delivering more than 105,000 through our targeted approach.

“This investment will allow us to build on this progress and deliver tangible improvements for patients.”

However, organisations representing healthcare staff continue to raise concerns about staffing to meet demand, with calls from clinicians for sustainable workforce planning to help the NHS deliver these extra appointments, with many emphasising the need to invest in primary care.

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