Cole-Hamilton: SNP are bad for your health

Following new figures revealing tens of thousands of people waiting for mental health treatment, thousands of nursing and midwifery vacancies, sky-high delayed discharges and scores of cancelled operations, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said that the “SNP are bad for your health”.

New figures published today reveal:

• 236 children and 2,669 adults waiting over a year for mental health treatment, more than 28,000 still on mental health waiting lists and the eighteen-week target being missed for adults.
• 2,981 nursing and midwifery vacancies as at the quarter ending September 2025.
• Nearly 2,000 people (1,962) people stuck in hospital at the October census due to their discharge being delayed.
• In the last twelve months, operations activity remains 11% lower than pre-pandemic levels - the equivalent of 36,000 fewer operations.

On mental health waiting times, Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“It is scandalous that we're still seeing thousands of people waiting over a year for mental health treatment, and many more people stuck on long waiting lists.

“The SNP are bad for your health. My party have a realistic plan to deliver the world-class mental health services Scotland is crying out for.

“We will cut waiting times, get more professionals close to where you live and ramp up the training of new staff and mental health first aiders. Next May, you can vote for that plan by making a cross next to the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach-coloured, regional ballot paper.”

On nursing and midwifery vacancies, he said:

“These gaps stretch all the way back to Nicola Sturgeon cutting nursing and midwifery training places and claiming that was 'sensible'.

“We now have dangerous staff shortages, with the recent investigations into maternity units showing how this is seriously harming patient care.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to deliver first-rate healthcare for everyone. That starts by tackling burnout and prioritising the recruitment and retention of hardworking staff.”

On delayed discharges, he said:

“The SNP are constantly breaking their promise to end delayed discharges.

“Their abject failure to provide proper care at home or in the community is leaving 2,000 patients stuck in hospital beds on a typical night. It's why A&E departments are struggling to move people into the main hospital and why ambulances are stacking up outside.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to fix care - only by doing that can we fix our NHS. We would create a new UK-wide minimum wage for care workers, £2 higher than the national minimum wage, to tackle the chronic staff shortages in care and make social care a profession of choice again.”

On cancelled operations, he said:

“Every month, these figures show the SNP cannot be trusted to get our NHS back on track.

“Despite a revolving door of SNP health secretaries, not a single one has ever delivered for our health service.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to get everyone the care they need when they need it. What our NHS truly needs is a change of government.”