John Swinney 'determined' ending long NHS waits will be his legacy
It came as the First Minister announced new funding to tackle the issue
John Swinney has announced a £90 million cash boost to help reduce long waits for hospital treatment.
The First Minister said he is “determined” ending long NHS waits will be his government’s “lasting legacy”.
He said he expects “to see month-on-month” reductions as he challenged health boards to be “focused on accelerating progress”.
The additional money will go towards bringing down outpatient waiting lists, as well as scheduled operations and procedures such as hip and knee replacements.
Ahead of May’s election, the government missed its own target to eradicate year-long waits for treatment in the NHS, with the First Minister saying he expected the target to be met within months.
Speaking during a visit to the national treatment centre in Fife, Mr Swinney said: “Over the past year we have seen long waits falling with new outpatient waits over 52 weeks reducing for 12 months in a row. Our network of national treatment centres have been key to this success with thousands more procedures taking place.
“The direction of travel is positive, but there is more work to do - I am determined that ending long waits for NHS treatment will be my government’s lasting legacy.
“This dedicated funding of £90 million will support those waiting the longest for treatment and help to create more capacity within our wider healthcare system. I am confident we will continue to see long waits reduce but I need our health boards focused on accelerating progress.
“People can expect delivery with my government. I have been clear with health boards that I will expect to see month-on-month reductions on the back of this new investment.
“This investment supports our commitment to building an NHS fit for the future. Initiatives including GP walk-in services and hospital at home are expanding access so patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We have also committed to publishing a new hospital flow plan during our first 100 days in office.”
William Edwards, chief executive of NHS Fife, said: "The national treatment centre in Fife is helping transform access to planned care, having delivered more than 2,550 operations and supported nearly 15,700 outpatient appointments in 2025/26.
“With high theatre utilisation, shorter hospital stays and most patients returning home within a day, our teams are making a real difference for patients across Scotland.
“This additional investment will help us continue to work towards reducing waiting times and help us treat more people, sooner."
Plans for five more national treatment centres in Livingston, Perth, Aberdeen, Ayr and Cumbernauld are currently in doubt due to funding problems.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Our national treatment centres are key to the real progress we’re making on waiting times. In the first nine months of 2025-26, they delivered more than 30,000 surgeries and procedures - exceeding our annual target three months early - with the NHS Golden Jubilee now the UK’s largest hip and knee centre.
“The infrastructure investment delivery pipeline 2026 sets out the infrastructure projects and programmes that we will fund over the next four financial years. We are working with all health boards to identify investment priorities across NHS Scotland and the remaining national treatment centres will be considered as part of this work.”
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