Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Humza Yousaf accused of 'incompetence' after sharp rise in waiting list deaths

Scottish Labour said that 18,390 people died while on a waiting list in 2022

Humza Yousaf accused of 'incompetence' after sharp rise in waiting list deaths

SCOTTISH first minister Humza Yousaf was accused of 'incompetence' after latest figures revealed a 39 per cent increase in the number of patients dying on waiting lists, reported The Times.

Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, said that the fundamental basis of our National Health Service (NHS) was founded on the concept of providing free healthcare when it is needed. However, it is evident that this principle no longer applies to thousands in Scotland, he alleged.


Sarwar also accused Yousaf of 'incompetence' after new figures showed the number of patients forced to go private to escape queues had risen by almost half, to 2,700.

“Does the first minister accept that his incompetence has created a two-tier NHS, where people are forced to either go into debt in order to stop the pain and get treatment they need, or to languish on an NHS waiting list?," Sarwar was quoted as saying by The Times.

Public Health Scotland's (PHS) recent data revealed over 7,000 patients waited more than two years for outpatient appointments, despite the government's 12-week treatment target.

This was across only four health boards, Ayrshire and Arran; Borders, Grampian and Highland, and the true figure will be far higher.

According to Labour party's own statistics, 18,390 people died while on a waiting list in 2022, compared with 13,211 in 2019.

As many as 19,000 Scottish patients have opted to pay for treatment, with self-pay admissions increasing by 73 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, data from the Private Healthcare Information Network revealed.

Statistics showed that 7,849 Scots were waiting for more than two years for inpatient, outpatient or day care treatment from NHS Scotland as of March 31, when compared to just 599 in England.

The number of patients in England waiting for treatment for over 18 months is 10,737, whereas in Scotland, the figure stands at 21,681.

Yousaf claimed that outpatient two-year waits declining by 19 per cent compared with those in the last quarter and almost 70 per cent from the same quarter in 2022.

“I don’t want a single person having to wait longer than they have to. I apologise, of course, to anybody who is waiting unnecessarily on a waiting list for treatment," he is reported to have said.

“Now, that is not to take away from some of the individuals who are waiting far too long. We know waiting on a waiting list can have significant and severe consequences.”

According to the government, the number of outpatients waiting for over 78 weeks for care has nearly halved since the implementation of the targets.

More For You

Air India flight crash

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.

Getty Images

Leicester to observe silence for Air India crash victims during Rathayatra festival

A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.

Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock)

Millions more to get £150 off energy bills under new Warm Home Discount rules

MILLIONS of households in Britain will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter after the government changed the eligibility rules for the Warm Home Discount.

People on means-tested benefits will now automatically qualify for the discount, regardless of their property's size or energy score. This change is expected to extend support to 2.7 million additional households, including nearly a million with children.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

Haleema Zahid

Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

TWO sisters studying at the University of Chester have drowned in mountain pools while visiting Snowdonia with university friends, an inquest has heard.

Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water at the Watkin Pools at Eryri in the Nant Gwynant area of Gwynedd on June 11.

Keep ReadingShow less
Croydon couple dies in Air India crash after baby shower trip

Vaibhav Patel and his wife Jinal Goswami

Croydon couple dies in Air India crash after baby shower trip

A YOUNG couple from Croydon were among those killed in last week's devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, it has been confirmed.

Vaibhav Patel, 29, and his pregnant wife Jinal Goswami, 27, died when their flight crashed just moments after takeoff on June 12. Goswami was seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, reports said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Iran-Israel-clash-Reuters

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran on June 18, 2025.

Reuters

Israel hits nuclear reactors in Iran; hospital struck in retaliation

ISRAEL launched airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Thursday, while Iranian missiles damaged an Israeli hospital, escalating the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign until Iran's nuclear programme is destroyed. “The tyrants of Tehran will pay the full price,” he said.

Keep ReadingShow less