Extra funding is expected to deliver more than 300,000 appointments and procedures across Scotland this year.

The Scottish government announced £106 million of funding in the 2025-26 Budget and have now announced another £4 million for dermatology.

The £110 million is expected to deliver 195,000 imaging scans; 31,000 inpatient or day-case procedures; 88,000 new outpatient appointments; and 4,100 new dermatology outpatient appointments.

This would mean 213,000 more appointments are expected to be delivered this year, compared to 2024/2025. This would exceed the Programme for Government commitment of delivering 150,000 appointments by more than 60,000.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Reducing long waits in the NHS is one of the biggest priorities for the First Minister and the Scottish Government. Our record investment in the NHS this year is allowing us to target specific areas that are experiencing long waits, reducing backlogs and getting people the appointments and treatments they need as quickly as possible.

“I am pleased to confirm that we expect the additional funding committed to reduce waiting times to result in more than 300,000 appointments and procedures this year. My thanks go out to all the hard-working NHS teams for their continued efforts.

“Also today I am announcing an additional £4 million specifically for dermatology. We know that this is an area with significant backlogs, so by investing in increased capacity we hope to be able to reduce waiting times for this speciality.”