More than 2,200 Scots have been waiting for two years or more for “life-changing” orthopaedic surgery – with more than 200 having been on the list for at least three years, new figures showed.

With First Minister Humza Yousaf having previously pledged action in the NHS to reduce long waits, Labour said his time as health secretary had left a legacy of “broken promises and missed targets”.

Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie insisted it was “unacceptable” for patients to have to wait years, sometimes in “excruciating pain” for operations.

Data provided by Health Secretary Michael Matheson showed there were 43,681 people waiting for orthopaedic procedures – such as hip and knee replacements – at the end of last year.

This included 2,207 patients who had been waiting two years or more, and 225 who had been on the list for at least three years.

The number having the longest waits of three years or more was up from 93 at the end of June 2022, however, the number waiting two years or more was higher then, at 2,609.

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