The ‘Worried and Waiting’ report, published in March 2024, found that paediatric waiting times in Scotland had doubled since 2012, with nearly half of all patients in 2023 waiting over 12 weeks, compared to just 1% in 2012. The report also found that despite some recent improvements in overall waits, lengthy delays remain a pressing issue.
One year later, data published today reveals that whilst there has been some improvement in the overall number of ongoing waits from September 2023 to September 2024, thousands of Scottish children are still waiting to receive treatment.
Updated data shows that:
- There was a 16% decrease in the overall number of ongoing waits for outpatient, inpatient, and day cases in Scotland, leaving the total number of ongoing paediatric waits at 8,830.
- The ongoing waits for up to 12 weeks have remained constant from 5,375 to 5,385, a percentage change of 0.2%.
- There are still 3,445 children waiting over 12 weeks to receive treatment.
- The number of ongoing waits exceeding 12 weeks has decreased by 32.9%—from 5,137 in September 2023 to 3,445 in September 2024.
- Between September 2023 and September 2024, the percentage of ongoing waits longer than 12 weeks decreased from 48.9% to 39%.
- The number of health boards achieving the national standard rate in September 2024 was one out of 14.
- Over half of health boards have seen a decrease in waits over 12 weeks. However, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Highland, NHS Shetland, and NHS Western Isles have seen an increase in the proportion of waits over 12 weeks.
Timely treatment is crucial as delays can hinder children’s physical milestones, communication abilities, social growth, confidence, and resilience. While these figures demonstrate some progress, it is evident that increased investment and support for services and staff are essential to ensure children receive the care they deserve.
Last year, RCPCH Scotland set out three core recommendations, and these remain unchanged and as urgent as ever. These include:
- Conducting a full review of the child health workforce to ensure it is sufficiently resourced and funded to tackle waiting times.
- Improving the collection and utilisation of child health data.
- Enhancing access to and funding of primary care and cross-sector community-based services, resources and advice for children, young people, and families to support their health and wellbeing.
RCPCH Officer for Scotland, Mairi Stark, said:
Despite some progress being made, no child should endure prolonged wait times. As a paediatrician, I have witnessed the profound harm these delays can inflict on children and their families, and how they can exacerbate long-term health inequalities.
A 16% decrease in children waiting reflects the fantastic efforts of the workforce, but ultimately the Scottish Government’s failure to implement the recommendations we made in our Worried & Waiting report a year ago has hindered further progress.
Children deserve substantial policy action now — they are Scotland's future and cannot afford to wait for incremental improvements. We want to see the targets met across Scotland. Investing in children's health today ensures a brighter, healthier future for all. The time to act is now.