Backlog for patients in NHS Lanarkshire has completed spiralled out of control

Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Hamilton and Clyde Valley, Richard Nelson, says that the backlog for patients in NHS Lanarkshire has completed spiralled out of control under the chronic mismanagement of the SNP.

New statistics from Public Health Scotland revealed this week that a record 840,300 patients across Scotland were on an NHS waiting list for inpatient or outpatient appointments or a key diagnostic test as of the end of March 2024.

That’s almost 55,000 more patients than the same time last year.

In NHS Lanarkshire, there are now 3,086 more patients on the NHS backlog than 12 months ago, which Mr Nelson has described as “a damning indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of Scotland’s NHS.”

Richard continued by stating “it is utterly shocking that thousands of patients in NHS Lanarkshire remain on waiting lists, with precious little progress made over the last year. Dire workforce planning from successive SNP Health Secretaries has left services in NHS Lanarkshire dangerously overstretched and unable to meet patient demand, despite the best efforts of our extremely dedicated NHS staff.”

Obsession with independence

Mr Nelson added “The SNP’s obsession with prioritising Scottish Independence has taken precedence over far more pressing issues such as cutting NHS waiting times in Scotland and this will only continue to be the case if Nationalist MPs are elected at the General Election on July 4.”

Richard concluded by stating “The SNP have no plan to tackle these soaring waiting times. They will continue to try their heads in the sands of independence and the people of Hamilton and Clyde Valley deserve better. The SNP could only begin to tackle these issues by adopting the ambitious proposals set out by us, The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, to deliver a modern, efficient and locally focused health service.

At the General Eelection, on July 4, you have the chance to end the SNP’s independence obsession once and for all and shift the focus on the issues that matter to you, such as reducing the unacceptable patient backlog in NHS Lanarkshire.”