Copyright bbc
It's not the first time the Scottish government has promised to end the longest waits. In 2022, former First Minister Humza Yousaf said waits of over a year would be eradicated by September 2024 and that a network of National Treatment Centres would increase capacity for planned care. Fast forward to today and only half of the National Treatment Centres commissioned have opened and waits of over a year have risen to 86,000. The first minister is confident this time the money targeted at reducing waits is making a difference. He says they have increased the number of appointments and operations and already the data is showing a reduction in waits of over 52 weeks. Building on that will be a challenge for health boards as we head into winter. If too many people are admitted with flu and other illnesses, it reduces the number of available beds for planned operations. And there is also the question of resident doctors, formerly called junior doctors. They are soon to open a ballot for industrial action following a breakdown in talks over pay. There is a possibility that a major part of the medical workforce could be on strike just as the NHS is trying to get through its most difficult months.
