FACTCHECK – The SIX key NHS waiting lists which are shorter, sometimes only half as long, in Scotland

By Professor John Robertson

Important note for some readers – England has 10 times the population so to be fair to them, where they are not already in the form of percentages, I’ve divided their waiting lists by 10.

All sources below.

  1. In April 2024, the waiting list for cardiac (heart) surgery in England [i] was almost twice as long as in Scotland.[ii]
  2. In April 2024, the overall waiting list for all procedures in England [iii] was almost twice as long as in Scotland.[iv]
  3. In March 2024, 8% of patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E. In England it was 13.2% and in Wales 15.5%. [v] England does not publish over-8 hour waits.
  4. In April 2024, 64.1% were seen within 4 hours in full emergency (ED) departments in Scotland.[vi] In England it was 60.4%.[vii]
  5. According to BBC Health in August 2023, 21% of cancer patients waited longer than the 62-day target for treatment in Scotland. In England, it was 36%, in Wales 43% and in N Ireland 58%! [viii]
  6. In January 2024, the average wait time for an ambulance was 8 mins 46 seconds.[ix] In England in December 2023, it was 38 mins [x], 4 times as long!

Yes, I know, drug deaths.

[i] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/11/number-waiting-for-nhs-care-for-serious-heart-problems-in-england-rises-fivefold

[ii] https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24091977.cardiology-waiting-lists-at-highest-level-record

[iii] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/03/almost-10-million-people-in-england-could-be-on-nhs-waiting-list

[iv] https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-31-december-2023/

[v] https://rcem.ac.uk/data-statistics/

[vi] https://publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/acute-and-emergency-services/urgent-and-unscheduled-care/accident-and-emergency/#section-3-2

[vii] https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2024-25/

[viii] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63573718

[ix] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59549800

[x] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67714151

One thought on “FACTCHECK – The SIX key NHS waiting lists which are shorter, sometimes only half as long, in Scotland”

  1. Pingback: Labour candidate sets out priorities for Central Ayrshire to return to 1980s poverty – Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel

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