NHS Long Waits Trigger Labour Criticism

The opposition party says thousands of patients are still waiting more than 12 months for care, despite a previous commitment that long waits would be eliminated by March 2026. The row has intensified political pressure on the Scottish National Party (SNP) as concerns grow over the performance of Scotland’s health service.

The criticism centres on a December 2024 statement by Finance Secretary Shona Robison, who said that by March this year no patient would wait longer than a year for a new outpatient appointment, inpatient treatment or day-case care.

However, analysis of the latest figures from Public Health Scotland suggests that target has not been met.

According to Scottish Labour’s review, there were 53,316 combined inpatient and outpatient waits exceeding one year as of 31 January 2026. The data also showed that 6,391 patients had been waiting more than two years for treatment.

The figures highlight continued pressure across multiple parts of the NHS in Scotland.

As of the end of January:

•23,057 patients had waited more than a year for inpatient or day-case treatment

•3,639 of those had waited longer than two years

•30,259 patients faced outpatient waits exceeding 52 weeks

•2,752 had been waiting more than two years for outpatient care

Labour argues the numbers demonstrate that long-standing backlogs remain deeply embedded in the system.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie delivered a strongly worded criticism of the SNP’s record.

“This has been an utterly dismal failure by the SNP, with successive ministers having broken promises to end year-long NHS waits,” she said.

Baillie argued that after nearly two decades in government, the SNP had repeatedly failed to deliver meaningful improvements in waiting times. She warned that prolonged delays were pushing some patients to pay privately for treatment.

“The crisis in our NHS has become so desperate that many people are now spending their life savings to pay for private treatment,” she said.

Labour says it would use all available healthcare capacity and adopt new technologies to reduce waiting lists if elected.

Scotland’s Health Secretary Neil Gray rejected claims that the government’s strategy was failing, insisting the NHS is making steady improvements.

“We are making clear and sustained progress in clearing waits of over a year – with waits falling for eight months in a row,” Gray said.

He argued that increased diagnostic activity and falling long-wait figures indicate the recovery plan is beginning to take effect.

“Our plan is working and our NHS is turning a corner,” he said, while acknowledging that more work is needed to fully meet the long-wait target.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of continuing pressure on health services across the UK following the Covid-19 pandemic, which significantly disrupted elective care and routine treatment.

Like other parts of the NHS, Scotland’s health system experienced a sharp rise in waiting lists during and after the pandemic due to postponed procedures, workforce pressures and increased demand.

Although governments across the UK have reported progress in reducing the longest waits, backlogs remain a major political and operational challenge. Health leaders have repeatedly warned that workforce shortages, rising demand and ageing infrastructure continue to complicate recovery efforts.

The issue of NHS waiting times Scotland is expected to remain a central battleground in Scottish politics in the months ahead. With elections approaching, opposition parties are seeking to frame long waits as evidence of systemic failure, while ministers emphasise improving trends.

For patients still facing lengthy delays, however, the debate remains intensely personal, with many continuing to wait months or years for treatment.