Professor John Robertson OBA

From Public health Scotland:

As of the month ending 31 August 2025 (based on the most recent Public Health Scotland monthly data release on 28 October 2025, which includes historical figures up to August), the total number of ongoing waits for elective care in Scotland—encompassing new outpatient appointments, inpatient admissions, and day case treatments—stands at 717,974 clinical pathways.¹

All things being equal, with 10 times the population, the NHS England figure should be around 7.2m but according to the Guardian² today is 7.4m, 2.7% longer but that means 200 000 patients in England on the waiting list when they would not have had they lived in a country where the health service was run by the SNP and 20 000 living in Scotland who are not waiting because they live in Scotland.

Sources:

1. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-quarter-ending-30-june-2025/
2. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/19/nhs-failing-waiting-times-recovery-plan-pac-report