Yousaf to announce £300m fund to tackle Scotland's waiting list crisis

At the end of June this year there were 149,255 patients on waiting lists, nearly double what it was at the end of 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

While the number of patients being treated has increased in recent months, it is still far below pre-pandemic levels.

READ MORE: NHS Scotland: Three year op waits up from 560 to nearly 1600

Last year, the Scottish Government said they would eradicate waits over two years completely by the end of August 2022.

They have failed to do so. The most recent statistics from Public Health Scotland revealed there were still 6,831 people on the list who had waited over two years. 

Another 36,628 have been waiting for over a year, while 1,587 have waited for more than three years.

Mr Yousaf’s announcement comes after a row in August when the UK Government’s Health Secretary Steve Barclay suggested that the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales should consider referring long-wait patients to England for faster NHS treatment.

South of the border, the number of two-year waits had already reduced to 314 by the end of June.

In his speech to the SNP conference, Mr Yousaf is expected to say: “Post-pandemic, we are working hard to reduce NHS waiting times - and we have seen a significant reduction in the longest waits since targets were announced last July.

“I am announcing today that in each of the next three years, we will invest an extra £100 million to cut waiting lists.

“This additional funding will enable us to maximise capacity, build greater resilience in the system and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.

“That will reduce waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients by 2026.”

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It is Mr Yousaf’s first speech to SNP conference as leader and comes after a torrid six months for the fledgling First Minister.

Earlier this month, his party was hammered in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, with Labour winning thanks to a 20.4% swing away from the SNP.

Polling over the weekend suggested the party was now neck and neck with Labour. At the time of last year’s conference, the SNP had a 16-point lead over their rivals.

The Savanta survey for the Scotsman put the SNP and Labour on 35% of the vote, while the Tories would take 19% and the Lib Dems 6%.

According to Electoral Calculus, such a result would see the SNP win just 19 seats to Labour’s 28, with the Conservatives holding on to their six seats, while the Liberal Democrats would win four seats, up two.

The poll also showed little change on independence, with support for a Yes vote at 45% and No on 47%.

The First Minister is expected to touch on independence in his speech to the party faithful.

Earlier this week, members backed plans to give “democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent country” if the party wins a majority of seats at the next general election.

Effectively, that means if the SNP win 29 of Scotland’s 57 constituencies, the First Minister will demand a new referendum, and the powers to hold a vote on the constitution devolved to Holyrood.

Mr Yousaf will tell the conference: “Around half of our fellow Scots already support independence.

“I have no doubt that we can turn that half into a sustained majority.

“We will do so when we concentrate not on the how – but on the why.

“At the next election, page one line one of our manifesto will say ‘vote SNP for Scotland to become an independent country.’ “And that’s because independence is about building a better Scotland.

“It’s about raising living standards. It’s about protecting our NHS. Above all, it’s about a stronger economy. An economy that works for everyone who lives here.”

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf: voters don't see independence as relevant to daily life

Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy, said: “Humza Yousaf has completely given up any pretence about focusing on the real priorities of the people of Scotland.

“His relentless pursuit of independence is all that matters to him. He is well and truly confirming his status as a second-rate Nicola Sturgeon tribute act by continuing to push for another referendum at a time when Scots are grappling with the global cost-of-living crisis.

“He has some brass neck in talking up his extra funding for Scotland’s NHS. It is the failures of his flimsy recovery plan – produced over two years ago – that means one in seven Scots are languishing on a NHS waiting list.

“Scotland simply cannot afford the SNP wasting more taxpayers time and money on their constitutional obsession, when they should be focused on people’s real priorities such as growing our economy and keeping our communities safe.

“In crucial seats across Scotland, it is only the Scottish Conservatives who can beat the SNP, stop Humza Yousaf obsessing about independence and ensure the focus gets on to the issues that really matter.”