SNP Government 'woeful' on NHS waiting times as seven targets missed in four years

Analysis by Scottish Labour showed the SNP is still failing to deliver on NHS targets going as far back as 2022.

The SNP previously pledged to end two year waits for most specialties in 2022 – but latest figures show as of May 2026, there were still 3,239 ongoing waits across outpatient, inpatient and day case lists.

Seven waiting list targets set by the SNP over the last four years have still not been met, with latest figures showing 31,335 ongoing waits of over a year and 8,555 ongoing waits of over 18 months.

Most recent figures show progress is beginning to stall on NHS waiting lists, with outpatient lists rising for the third consecutive month.

Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said “A long list of SNP promises lie in tatters, while patients and staff pay the price.

“It is hard to trust the SNP will deliver on its current targets when we are still waiting for the SNP to deliver on the ones set five years ago.

“We cannot afford five more years of this woeful progress.

“The SNP must get a grip of the waiting list emergency at last and give Scots an NHS that is there for them when they need it.”

The SNP had vowed to two year waits for outpatients in most specialities by the end of August 2022 - but in June there were 1,058 ongoing waits beyond two years.

It pledged to end waits of eighteen months for outpatients in most specialities by the end of December 2022 - but there were 3,051 ongoing waits in June.

The Scottish Government promised to end waits of one year for outpatients in most specialities by the end of March 2023. There were some 14,238 of these in June.

It vowed to end waits of two years for inpatient/daycases in most specialties by the end of September 2022 - but there were still 2,181 last month.

The Government said it would end waits of eighteen months for inpatient/daycases in most specialities by the end of September 2023. There are 5,504 ongoing waits.

It also said it would end waits of one year for inpatient/daycases in most specialities by the end of September 2024 - but there are currently 17,097 such waits.

By March 2026, the Scottish Government said no one will wait longer than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment, inpatient treatment or day case treatment. There were 31,335 waiting last month.

Health Secretary Angela Constance said: “I’m grateful to the exceptional NHS workforce for the considerable effort they have made to help us meet a commitment to reducing waiting times and ensure more patients get access to the care they need sooner.

“We want to go further, and I welcome the First Minister’s announcement that £90 million of dedicated funding to support those waiting the longest, creating additional capacity across our NHS.

“Better care will not be achieved simply by increasing activity.

“That’s why we have committed to targeted and immediate health actions. We’ll publish a new national plan for the flow of patients through hospitals, increase our planned number of GP walk-in services to 30, and deliver at least 50,000 operations and procedures within the first 100 days of government.

“We will also introduce the first heart and lung MOTs. Prevention is better than cure and catching issues early can save lives.”