THE SNP-Green Scottish government was urged to “wake up” today following the revelation that almost 25 times more patients wait at least two years for NHS treatment in Scotland than in England.

Statistics from Public Health Scotland and NHS England obtained by the Scottish Labour Party show that despite Scotland having less than 10 per cent of the population of its southern neighbour, thousands more Scottish NHS patients are waiting longer.

As of December 2023, a staggering 17,761 people had already waited 18 months or more for treatment, either as an in-patient or out-patient, by the Scottish health service, 35 per cent more than the 13,164 waiting south of the border.