Health boards across Scotland have welcomed the growing role of a national health board in reducing waiting times for elective and diagnostic procedures.

Over the past year, specialist teams at the Clydebank-based hospital have carried out more than 120,000 procedures – including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, and diagnostic imaging such as CT, MRI and ultrasound scans.

The hospital’s additional capacity continues to benefit patients across the country, as local health boards work to cut long waits.  

More than 9,900 people based in Forth Valley have undergone treatment or diagnosis procedures at the Clydebank hospital over the last year.

The Deputy Medical Director at NHS Forth Valley, Dr Karen Adamson, said:

“The majority of our patients continue to access diagnostic scans and surgery here in Forth Valley.

“However, having access to the additional capacity provided by NHS Golden Jubilee is invaluable in helping us reduce waiting times and ensuring that patients who require specialist treatment can benefit from the expertise available at this national centre.”

Meanwhile, NHS Golden Jubilee has carried out more than 2,500 procedures for people based across Highland – 600 of which were specialist cardiology, heart and lung surgeries.

NHS Golden Jubilee is home to one of the UK’s largest and most successful heart and lung centres, providing regional and national services such as heart transplantation.

NHS Highland Chief Executive Fiona Davies commented: “We are grateful to the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital for their support in helping patients across Highland, Argyll and Bute access vital treatment.

“This is a good example of partnership working between boards across Scotland to deliver high-quality care to our patients.”

This last year has also seen the national hospital support NHS Dumfries and Galloway to the tune of more than 4,200 procedures.

The support was welcomed by the board’s Medical Director, Dr Kenneth Donaldson:

“Their specialist expertise and additional capacity have helped ensure that many of our patients received timely diagnosis and treatment over the past year.”

In 2025/26, NHS Golden Jubilee has been set targets to carry out 6,178 orthopaedic joint surgeries, 10,001 cataracts and more than 10,000 endoscopies and colonoscopies, in national efforts to eradicate all waits over 52 weeks.

The national board sits alongside National Treatment Centres in Fife, Highland, and Forth Valley, designed to make accessing treatment quicker and more flexible and support regional working across NHS Scotland.

NHS Golden Jubilee Chief Executive Carolynne O’Connor commented: “As a national asset for NHS Scotland, the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital supports local boards by offering extra capacity and access to our specialist services.

“Our skilled teams are proud to help patients get faster access to important tests and treatments since 2002.

"We remain committed to working closely with all NHS boards to keep delivering high-quality care and making sure patients continue to benefit from the services we offer.”

Read more: Scots to benefit from new NHS heart treatment; Major shake-up in NHS service planning; Government boosts health innovation funding

 

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