Six-year wait for knee replacements in NHS Highland as elective treatment backlog grows By Tom Ramage Published: 17:06, 24 February 2021 Get the Northern Times sent to your inbox every week and swipe through an exact replica of the day's newspaper Highlands MSP Edward Mountain today called on the Scottish Government to set out its plans to remobilise NHS Highland and ensure lengthening treatment backlogs are reduced urgently post-pandemic. Currently, all elective operations have been suspended in NHS Highland to free up capacity to treat patients with Covid-19. Mr Mountain raised the issue during the First Ministerâs covid-19 statement in the Scottish Parliament: âElective orthopaedic surgery in the Highlands stopped a long time ago due to Covid-19.