A decision on a the future of a flagship SNP policy aimed at slashing NHS waiting times will be delayed for another 12 months despite its implementation already being years behind schedule.

The SNP announced plans to build a network of National Treatment Centres (NTCs) in 2015 – but just four of the nine promised facilities are operational.

The centres were meant to cut waiting times for operations and tests, with the sites already operational in Clydebank, Kirkcaldy, Inverness and Larbert offering orthopaedic treatment, eye care and general surgery appointments.

Now patients face another 12 months of delays before ministers decide whether to finally go forward with the rollout of sites in Livingston, Perth, Aberdeen, Ayr and Cumbernauld.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘This sums up the SNP – they promise the moon but always fail to deliver.

‘They cynically waste time and money on headline-grabbing gimmicks like national treatment centres and walk-in GP clinics that either don’t get off the ground or fail to make a dent in waiting times because there aren’t enough staff.

‘Health Secretary Angela Constance should focus on tackling the real issues, like the bloated bureaucracy in our NHS, so that staff and patients can get the support they need.’

So far, £35 million has been spent on developing plans for the remaining centres, which were originally pitched as new-build facilities. But before the last election, former Finance Secretary Shona Robison admitted that the government was looking at ‘repurposing existing facilities’ rather than building promised new ones.

Now Ms Constance has admitted in a parliamentary question that the government is reviewing the infrastructure needs of all health boards before any decision is made.

She said: ‘Ministers are expected to decide priorities next year, once this process concludes.’

This also means a 12-month wait for a decision on a permanent MRI scanner at Dr Gray’s hospital in Elgin. Meanwhile, an inpatient ward at the NTC based at NHS Forth Valley’s Royal Hospital in Larbert has been beset by problems. In 2023, the ward, made up of buildings supplied by Portakabin, was found to have ventilation, fire safety and flooding issues.

NHS Assure, which signs off on new health construction projects, said the issues could ‘potentially compromise the safety of patients and staff’. The health board is still working on making it compliant.

Scottish Labour Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: ‘Hundreds of thousands of Scots are languishing on NHS waiting lists for months or even years on end on the SNP’s watch.

‘National Treatment Centres could help to drive down waiting lists for good and ensure people can get the care they need, when they need it – but the SNP doesn’t seem to see the urgency.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Adam Harley added: ‘Plagued by constant delays, these national treatment centres have become a symbol of the SNP government’s broken promises to staff and patients.

‘They are wasting the potential of these centres to help cut waiting lists and reduce the operations backlog.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are working with all health boards to identify investment priorities across NHS Scotland and the remaining National Treatment Centres will be considered as part of this work.'