Additional NHS investment from the SNP Scottish Government is reducing waiting lists in Shetland, new figures can reveal.
The figures show a 35.5% drop in ophthalmology waiting times in NHS Shetland between April and September 2024.
This improvement in waiting times was made possible by increased SNP investment in the health service – an additional £30 million to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures by the end of March this year.
The Scottish Government exceeded this target by over 10,000, delivering 75,500 appointments and procedures by the end of January, helping to reduce waiting times in NHS Shetland.
A further £200 million to reduce waiting times and delayed discharge will be made available as part of the SNP’s Scottish Budget for 2025-26, ensuring no one waits more than 52 weeks for a procedure or appointment by March 2026.
Commenting, local MSP Emma Roddick said:
“I welcome these figures which show a 35.5% drop in ophthalmology waiting times in NHS Shetland.
“This was only possible because of the £30 million additional funding from the SNP Government, which has enabled NHS boards to exceed their appointment targets and reduce waiting times here in Shetland.
“But we all know we need to go further – the SNP Government is proposing a £200 million investment to help clear waiting list backlogs and reduce delayed discharge – the other opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament have said they’ll back our budget – and now Labour and the Tories need to do the same, to deliver this this NHS funding in Shetland and across Scotland.”
