Two-year hospital waits in Scotland fall again as fewer patients are seen within 12 weeks
Public Health Scotland figures to 30 September show 588,864 people on at least one outpatient, inpatient or day case list, with the longest waits shrinking but performance against the 12-week standards slipping.
By Daily Oracles News Team2 min read
About one in nine people in Scotland is waiting for planned hospital care, according to the latest monthly figures from Public Health Scotland, which show the longest waits continuing to come down while more of those being seen have waited beyond the 12-week standards.
At 30 September an estimated 588,864 people were on at least one list for a new outpatient appointment, an inpatient admission or a day case. Some patients appear on more than one list, so the outpatient and inpatient totals cannot simply be added together.
The longest waits
Outpatients. There were 508,014 open waits for a first outpatient appointment, 9.3% fewer than a year earlier. Of these, 12,683 had passed 52 weeks, down 1,756 in a month, and 1,084 had passed two years, down 175.
Inpatients and day cases. Ongoing waits stood at 156,786, down 1.2% on the year. Waits over 52 weeks fell by 884 to 15,064, and those over two years fell by 345 to 1,476.
Larger groups remain in the middle of the queue, with 116,179 outpatient waits and 59,090 inpatient waits past 26 weeks.
Activity up, standards missed
Hospitals were busier in September than in August. Outpatient attendances rose 7.1% to 115,599, though that was still 2.2% below the same month last year. Inpatient and day case admissions climbed 6.1% to 24,657, 5% higher than a year before.
The share of patients seen quickly moved the other way. Of the new outpatients who attended in September, 61.3% had waited under 12 weeks, down from 62.8% in August. The national standard is 95%. For inpatients and day cases, 53.7% were treated within 12 weeks of the decision to treat, against 54.7% the month before. Under the Treatment Time Guarantee, eligible patients should not wait longer than that.
How the figures are counted
Since 30 July 2025 the statistics have followed revised rules on when a waiting time clock can be adjusted. Public Health Scotland published an assessment of the effect of that change in April. It also asks users not to compare the figures directly with those for other parts of the UK.
The next monthly release, covering waits to the end of October, is due on 24 November. A separate breakdown of waiting times by age, sex and deprivation is planned for 15 December.
