Harley: Scotland’s NHS in need of real reform

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP has today said that the country’s NHS is “in need of real reform” as new figures revealed hundreds of thousands of waits for tests and treatments, standards for cancer treatment still not being met, thousands of people waiting hours at A&E and high delayed discharges. 

New figures published today reveal:

• There are 765,160 ongoing waits for NHS tests and treatments. Of these waits, over 14,000 people have been waiting more than a year and over 1,000 have been waiting two years.  
• Between January and March 2026, no health board met the 62-day standard for cancer waiting times. This states that 95% of eligible patients should wait no longer than 62 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first cancer treatment.
• This week, 3,904 patients waited over 8 hours at A&E, while 1,510 waited over 12 hours.
• In the financial year ending 31st March 2026, there were 705,952 days spent in hospital by people whose discharge was delayed.
• As at the beginning of June, there were 9,354 people either waiting to be assessed for a social care package or who had been assessed and were waiting on a social care package.

On NHS waiting times, Adam said:

“These waiting lists demonstrate the huge need for reform of our NHS.

“Being stuck on one of them makes it more difficult to get on in life, to return to work, and it only increases the chances of your condition deteriorating.

“At the recent election, thousands of people placed their trust in the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and we will repay that trust every day by focusing on delivering real reform for staff and patients.”

On cancer waiting times, Adam said:

“The SNP government has never once met the cancer waiting times target in the thirteen years since it was introduced.

“Getting seen in good time can be lifesaving in cancer cases, so the failure to meet this target is doubly concerning. We urgently need to turn this situation around.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would bring down waiting times and launch a new national lung cancer screening programme capable of saving hundreds of lives a year, just like the one already being rolled out in England. We would also enable US scientists to finish their cancer research here, instead of letting the Trump administration cancel all their invaluable work.”

On A&E waiting times, Adam said:

“When the SNP first took power, virtually no one was waiting more than 12 hours at A&E. Now, over 1,000 people are experiencing these waits every week.

“People are waiting what must feel like a lifetime at A&E because there are too many beds occupied by patients who can’t get the care package they need to return home.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats will keep a laser focus on fixing the crisis in social care, because that's the only way to get the NHS back on track."

On people waiting on care packages and stuck in hospital, Adam said:

“Every month, thousands of patients are medically ready to leave hospital but require a care package once they get home. A shortage of those packages means patients are left stuck in hospital.

“This situation is creating chaos across our NHS, with new patients arriving at hospitals waiting hours on end until a bed becomes free.

“Despite the SNP promising to end these delays more than decade ago, they are now costing the NHS £1.2 million a day.

“We need to fix our broken care system. That’s why my party wants to boost pay and conditions for care workers, recruit more people into caring professions and deliver new key worker housing to help them live and work in the communities they serve."