Reacting to news of the delay to updates on the future of five NHS treatment centres in Scotland, Professor Rowan Parks, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said:
"We know that the existing national treatment centres (NTCs) in Clydebank, Kirkcaldy, Inverness and Larbert are already playing a key role in reducing the surgical backlog in Scotland, and expanding this network of NCTs would increase capacity significantly, so this delay is very disappointing.
"The First Minister has pledged to bring down waiting lists and deliver an extra 150,000 appointments and procedures in the coming year, but a report from the University of Edinburgh found that without any increase in capacity, waiting lists in Scotland are predicted to exceed 900,00 by December 2026.
“I understand the many demands being placed on government mean that difficult choices have to be made, but it's imperative that these treatment centres are prioritised if the Scottish Government is to meet its targets and reduce waiting times for patients."