Exclusive:'Drastic action' needed to tackle hundreds of thousands of cancelled NHS appointments
The Scottish government has been warned the cancellation figures are “astonishing” as the NHS grapples with a huge waiting list backlog.
Almost 600,000 outpatient appointments have been cancelled by the NHS in Scotland in the past five years with SNP ministers told they must “drastically reduce” the numbers.
Data shows that since 2021, a total of 586,135 outpatient appointments across Scotland have been cancelled by clinicians, including more than 50,000 in the first six months of this year. Staff shortages and hospital capacity issues are among factors that force such cancellations.
Alongside the appointments cancelled by the NHS, an additional 521,085 appointments have been missed over the period by patients failing to showing up, including 45,971 in the first half of this year.
A futher 690,338 appointments were cancelled after patients told the NHS they could not attend, including more than 65,000 times in the first six months of 2026.
The missed and cancelled appointments, totalling almost 1.8 million across five years, is costing the NHS millions of pounds amid lengthy waiting lists, workforce and capacity concerns .
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the country’s largest health board, recorded the highest number of outpatient appointments cancelled by health officials with 163,796 recorded since 2021, including 12,280 in the first six months of 2026.
Across Scotland, the total number of non-attendances at a new outpatient appointment for those who ‘could not attend’ has steadily increased from 2021. Then 95,021 outpatient appointments could not be attended, with the figure rising to 137,441 in 2025. In the first half of 2026, 65,592 appointments were missed because patients could not make it.
Aside from dentistry, the NHS does not fine or penalise patients for failing to turn up to appointments.
The latest statistics from Public Health Scotland show that in June of this year, there were were 24,935 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland - a slight increase from the number planned in June 2025.
In June 2026, 8.3 per cent - or 2,067 of planned operations - were cancelled the day before or on the day the patient was due to be treated.
The cancellations comes against a backdrop of rising operations carried out in Scotland, with 308,350 planned surgeries undertaken - a seven per cent increase on the year before.
The statistics show that of all planned operations during June 2026 across Scotland, 3 per cent were cancelled the day before or on the day of treatment by the hospital for clinical reasons.
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson, Miles Briggs, said: “These figures are astonishing given the ever-growing NHS backlogs that are happening under the SNP.
“Every missed appointment is a slot that could have gone to someone else who is desperate to see their GP or have a vital operation carried out.
“While some reasons will be legitimate, every effort should be made by patients to inform the health service in good time if they won’t attend scheduled appointments.”
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He added: “This will also be costing the NHS millions at a time when services are already under huge strain after two decades of SNP mismanagement.
“SNP ministers and health boards must urgently look at ways they can drastically reduce the number of missed appointments.”
Scottish Labour health spokesperson and acting leader, Jackie Baillie, said: “At a time when so many people are desperate for an appointment, it is worrying that thousands are being cancelled or missed.
“These cancelled appointments pile pressure on the NHS and risk allowing patients to fall through the cracks.”
She added: “After waiting months or even years for care, it will be a huge blow for patients to have their appointment cancelled.
“The SNP must examine why so many appointments are being missed or cancelled and must work with health boards to make sure the system runs more smoothly and patients can easily and quickly get the appointments they need.”
Meanwhile, latest Public Health Scotland figures on A&E performance showed just 67.9 per cent of patients attending major emergency departments were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in June, the lowest figure ever recorded for the month. It followed the lowest monthly figures for April and May were also recorded.
This week, Health Secretary Angela Constance argued that the Scottish government was making progress on the NHS.
She said: “The NHS is turning a corner, both in terms of increased activity, so we have met the target around 150,000 operations and procedures.
“We have another commitment to deliver 50,000 procedures within our first 100 days.
“So across the system, we are seeing an increase in activity. We are also seeing those long waits reducing. The progress there has been sustained.”
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A Scottish government spokesperson said: “It is important that all health boards understand the reasons why patients do or could not attend appointments and identify opportunities to reduce non-attendance.
“Appointments can, often for clinical reasons, be moved or cancelled by health boards but we have made it clear that those with the greatest clinical need should not have their appointments cancelled.
“The Scottish government is expanding access to the NHS and cutting waiting times for patients across Scotland.
“We exceeded our target to deliver 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in 2025/26, reduced long waits for new outpatients by 77.7 per cent since July 2025 and increased the number of planned operations by 7 per cent in the 12 months to June 2026.
"We will continue to work with health boards to ensure capacity is used as effectively as possible so that fewer patients are impacted by last-minute cancellations."
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