The Scottish Government is “making the headway that’s required” on NHS waiting times, the First Minister has said, despite having to clear 78,000 year-long waits by March to hit a key pledge.

A woman who has received a breakthrough gene-editing treatment on the NHS is hoping 2026 is the year she will be cured of a major blood disorder. Kavita Mehta, 36, from London, has beta thalassaemia, ...