Announcement of NHS building plans for Scotland delayed

A refurbishment of the maternity ward at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness is one of the NHS projects currently on hold

Plans to reveal which new hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres will be built in Scotland have been delayed.

In February, at least a dozen NHS construction projects across the country were put on hold for up to two years as a result of budget pressures.

At the time the Scottish government said a revised NHS infrastructure plan would be unveiled in the spring.

But now the plan is expected to be published alongside the 2025/26 Scottish budget, which is usually around December.

It means a further wait for clarity over the future of projects such as a replacement hospital in Fort William and an already delayed network of 10 treatment centres across Scotland.

In a letter to Holyrood's finance committee, Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for finance and local government, said: "To provide as much certainty as possible to parliament and wider stakeholders of our capital investment plans, I must wait until I have confirmed capital allocations from the new UK government".

The new Labour UK government is expected to provide an update on the state of its finances in the autumn.

This will inform how much will be in the next Scottish government budget, which has been unveiled in December in recent years.

Scottish Conservative deputy health spokesperson Tess White MSP described the delay as "unacceptable".

“These hospitals, treatment centres and surgeries are desperately needed, and were promised by ministers to patients up and down Scotland," she said.

“This delay and uncertainty is down to SNP financial mismanagement, which has left a huge black hole in Scotland’s budget.

"The usual SNP tactic of trying to pin the blame on Westminster won’t wash when the Scottish government has received record block grants," she added.