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The exact number of facilities in Scotland that can perform cataract surgery is not centrally held. Table 1 lists NHS hospitals in Scotland where cataract procedures were performed in 2024, as recorded in either the inpatient or outpatient datasets.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all locations in Scotland where cataract procedures are performed. Only locations where procedures were both carried out and recorded are included. Some National Treatment Centres may not appear in the table if they do not have a unique location code or if they operate as extensions of existing locations.

Information on procedures paid for privately, either by the patient or a private insurer, with no NHS involvement, is not available to Public Health Scotland.

Table 1: NHS hospitals where cataract procedures were performed in 2024.

As outlined in the Mental Health in Primary and Community Care Progress Report (Dec 2024), we remain committed to delivering increased mental health and wellbeing workforce capacity in general practice when it is feasible to do so. As the member will be aware, the Emergency Budget review meant that recruitment of additional roles was paused. We are prioritising investment to maintain mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund.

The Mental Health in Primary and Community Care Progress Report also sets out what is needed to improve access to support, assessments and treatment from general practice. It contains a range of actions, including improving access to adult mental health treatment – expanding the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub, by December 2025, to provide access to digitally enabled psychological interventions and therapies for people who may benefit from early treatments.

This is in the context of wider support for general practice: the Scottish Government has already allocated over £1.3 billion to primary medical services this year with a further £56 million on course for pay rises and to provide new preventative services.

This follows an increase of £59.6 million last year to meet the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration recommendations and to cover population growth as well as a further £13.6 million to help GP practices meet the costs of inflationary pressures and deliver local enhanced services.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) uses the national waiting times data mart to collect electronic patient records covering the waits that patients experience waiting for treatment as an inpatient or day case under the Treatment Time Guarantee. This data source can be used routinely to identify the specialty of treatment. However, although the records are designed to collect coded information on the procedure that is planned for the patient, this information is often either incomplete, lacking in essential detail and/or its accuracy cannot be assured. In addition, for patients who have completed their wait the procedures that was planned may not always reflect the procedure actually performed after they were admitted for treatment. The latter is not captured through the national data mart. Consequently, PHS is not currently able to report accurately on waiting times to this level of detail.

More detailed information on the procedures that is planned or undertaken for a patient will be held locally by NHS boards.

The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland and its workforce. Operational matters, including the staffing of individual services, are the responsibility of each NHS Scotland Health Board.

At a local level, the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

The Scottish Government works with a stakeholder group (which includes NHS Education for Scotland, the British Medical Association, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and various Health Board representatives including regional workforce planners) to undertake annual reviews of the number of specialty training places (for resident doctors) needed across all specialties in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need.

Workforce statistics, including statistics on certain roles within ophthalmology services across NHS Scotland, can be found at: .

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. More detailed information on cancellations and rescheduled appointments will be held locally by NHS boards.

I understand that the Royal College of Ophthalmologists has recently written to Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, calling for a review into the use and oversight of independent sector providers for NHS-funded cataract surgery in NHS England.

NHS Scotland continues to make best use of existing NHS resources and capacity. Our National Treatment Centres (NTC) programme provides additional protected elective capacity and infrastructure for ophthalmic activity and a number of Health Boards also have additional cataract slots at Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

While NHS Scotland makes limited use of the independent sector, in certain circumstances limited use of alternative providers, including independent sector providers, may be required in response to capacity constraints.

The Scottish Government have not received reports of any extended delays for patients contacting NHS 24. We monitor NHS 24’s performance closely and remain satisfied that it continues to meet its statutory and clinical obligations.

NHS 24 has taken significant steps to improve performance, including increasing staffing levels to 1,556.9 WTE (2,199 headcount) as of March 2025 – an increase of 48.3% over the past decade. The service has also revised its key performance indicators to better capture unmet demand and identify risks where callers may have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to access 111.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting NHS 24’s efforts to improve service delivery and ensure that the 111 service continues to meet the needs of the public.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS 24 as it trials and implements new approaches to service delivery.

NHS 24 is also collaborating with key partners, including the Scottish Ambulance Service, to explore improved models of joint working. These efforts aim to enhance efficiency and ensure the 111 service remains responsive, effective, and aligned with the needs of patients across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has committed to a lung screening pilot in response to the outcomes from the Scottish Expert Advisory Group; this is expected to support the phased roll out of a national lung screening programme. A targeted lung screening programme will improve early detection, reduce health inequalities and support better outcomes for those at highest risk. The LungScot study generated valuable evidence and insights into identifying individuals at high risk of lung cancer, and its findings will help to guide the development of a national lung screening programme. A dedicated focus on some of the most deprived areas will be vital to inform the way a national programme is targeted and managed so that lung screening truly does tackle the unfair and unequal outcomes associated with lung cancer.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Screening Oversight and Assurance Scotland (SOAS) to plan and oversee the pilot, and to begin preparations for a national roll out. A pilot will enable us to test a national delivery model, gain deeper insights into effective implementation strategies and explore alternative approaches to boost uptake and participation. It will also enable screening to begin earlier in areas experiencing the highest levels of socio-economic deprivation, as evidence shows these individuals are at higher risk of lung cancer and have higher mortality rates. We will continue collaborating with colleagues across the NHS and partner agencies to ensure the effective rollout of lung screening, while exploring ways to minimise the impact on services further along the treatment pathway. The details of the pilot are still under development and will be shared in due course.

The Scottish Government commissioned a Scottish Expert Advisory Group (SEAG) to inform implementation considerations for a targeted Lung Cancer screening programme. The purpose of the SEAG was to support the work of the UK NSC Lung Task Group, and to consider outputs from the Task Group and their application in Scotland.

The Group has provided the Scottish Government with an evaluation of costs and considerations, and have estimated set up costs at approximately £36 million for a national programme. This cost accounts for the resources and equipment required. The estimated annual cost of the screening programme is between £29 million and £39 million, dependant on a number of factors including screening uptake, once the programme is fully implemented. This estimate includes the cost of staffing required across various components of the screening pathway.

The pilot announced in our Population Health Framework will support further refinement of these costs, as well as ensuring a dedicated focus on inequalities.