Tayside patients ‘waiting in pain for years’ as joint surgery backlog rises by 700%

The number of people waiting more than a year for joint surgery in Tayside rose by more than 700% in just four years – despite more patients being sent to other parts of Scotland in a bid to clear the backlog.

New figures, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a Freedom of Information request, show the list of people waiting more than 52 weeks for knee and hip replacements in Tayside increased every year between 2021 and 2025.

Just 91 people waited more than 52 weeks for treatment in 2021, rising to 335 in 2022 and 420 in 2023.

The number rose further to 519 in 2024, while 767 patients waited more than a year for joint replacements in 2025 – an increase of 742% since 2021.

More Tayside patients sent elsewhere for joint surgery

This is despite rising numbers of Tayside patients being sent for surgery in Clydebank and Inverness during that period, in an effort to speed up treatments.

A total of 290 Tayside patients received knee or hip replacements at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank in 2021.

The numbers dipped and then rose again between 2022 and 2024.

But in 2025, 474 Tayside patients were sent to either Clydebank or the National Treatment Centre (Highland) in Inverness for joint operations.

And a further 425 had been sent to either of these locations by August this year.

‘People across Tayside are waiting in pain for years for vital surgery’

Michael Marra, Scottish Labour MSP for North East Scotland and one of the party’s leadership candidates, says the growing waiting times reflect the Scottish Government prioritising short-term measures over long-term solutions.

However, the Scottish Government says the proposed mergers of health boards will help address waiting lists.

Marra said: “People across Tayside are waiting in pain for years for vital surgery.

“Despite more and more patients travelling hundreds of miles across the country for procedures, the number of long waits continues to grow.

“We know that the Scottish Government pumped in short-term funding to try, unsuccessfully, to get these waits below a year prior to the election in May.

“We also know that waits are now growing again because the government prioritised short-term measures instead of long-term solutions.

“Headlines in The Courier in recent days showing medical graduates unable to find employment in Scotland show that there is no long-term plan to develop the necessary skills to fix the problem.

“The government needs a proper long-term plan to turn this situation around.”

NHS Tayside aims to eradicate 52-week waits by 2027

NHS Tayside says sending patients to other parts of Scotland is part of a national strategy to significantly reduce wait times by 2027.

A spokesperson said: “NHS Tayside has used orthopaedic capacity at the National Treatment Centre (NTC) – Golden Jubilee since 2015 to support the management of our orthopaedic waiting lists.

“Following the opening of the NTC – Highland in 2023, NHS Tayside was allocated capacity for 322 hip and knee surgeries to be carried out at the centre.

“The rise in patients being referred to NTCs is a national response to the post-pandemic increase in patients waiting for an orthopaedic procedure and the drive to ensure there are no patients waiting over 52 weeks for surgery by March 31, 2027.”

In a statement, Health Secretary Angela Constance said: “Our plan is delivering, and NHS Golden Jubilee is the largest hip and knee replacement centre in the UK, marking a major milestone in the delivery of orthopaedic care across NHS Scotland.

“Across Scotland, we have seen substantial improvements in reducing the number of orthopaedic waits over 52 weeks in the last year.

“I am determined to build on this momentum, and we are investing a record £22.5 billion in health and social care in 2026-27, including a further £90 million targeted at reducing the longest waits and increasing planned care capacity.

“Our programme for government will set out what further steps we will take to drive improvements in the months ahead for patients in Tayside and across Scotland.”

First Minister John Swinney announced his programme for government on Tuesday, when it was revealed NHS Tayside will become part of an eastern NHS board, with a separate board serving the west of Scotland.

That has led to calls from SNP politicians for the HQ of the new NHS east to be based in Dundee.

The Scottish Government has yet to set out full details of the plans, including the implications for staff and services.