Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to reduce waiting lists for cardiology outpatient appointments.
We have allocated more than £135.5 million over 2025-26 to cut waits and the latest figures show our plan is delivering for the people of Scotland.
A further £20 million funding has been made available to support waiting times for the last quarter of the year, with the focus on Boards and specialities with long waits. This year’s funding includes over £500,000 for Cardiology services.
Our plan is working and delivering for the people of Scotland, and we are now seeing the tangible impact of our significant investment. The latest data shows NHS waiting lists have fallen and waits of more than a year have reduced for the seventh month in a row for New Outpatients.
The total list size for Cardiology New Outpatients has reduced by 12.5% from 31 July 2025- 31 December 2025 and waits over 52 weeks for Cardiology New Outpatients have reduced by 58.7% from 31 July 2025- 31 December 2025.
The Scottish Government will continue to work with Health Boards to maximise capacity and reduce the length of time people are waiting for appointments and treatment.