Experts have warned that SNP Ministers may have to withdraw some health services to free up cash for the NHS. Audit Scotland said “difficult decisions” are needed as the NHS struggles to cope with rising costs.
First Minister John Swinney has said the NHS will be his Government’s top priority in Wednesday’s Budget.
But one in six Scots are languishing on waiting lists and patients are complaining about the time it takes to see a GP. In their latest report, Audit Scotland flagged up the pressures facing the health service, including rising costs, paused investment and “growing demand”.
Auditor General for Scotland Stephen Boyle said: “Scotland’s NHS is still struggling to deliver care in a timely way, most waiting times standards are not being met.”
“To safeguard the NHS, a fundamental change in how services are provided remains urgent.”
He added: “The Scottish Government needs to set out clearly to the public and the health service how it will deliver reform, including how progress will be measured and monitored. Difficult decisions are needed about making services more efficient or, potentially, withdrawing those services with more limited clinical value to allow funding to be redirected. Taking those steps will require greater leadership from Scottish Government and NHS leaders than we’ve seen to date.”
His report found that despite increased funding and staffing, the NHS is still seeing “fewer patients than before the Covid-19 pandemic”. Separate research published last week by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that NHS recovery in Scotland after the pandemic had been slower than in England.
The Audit Scotland report continued: “Difficult decisions will need to be made about transforming services and, potentially, what the NHS stops doing.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “John Swinney likes to talk up his NHS record but this damning report shows the scale of SNP incompetence on his watch. Spending on agency staff is up 45 per cent on five years ago yet delayed discharge is at a record high and the NHS is missing three-quarters of waiting list targets — after 17 years of the SNP, our health service is broken.
“The report shows clearly the price hard-working NHS staff and patients are paying for the lack of leadership from the SNP. The UK Labour government delivered a record budget settlement for Scotland for our NHS and other public services but Scotland needs an end to SNP bungling and a change of direction under Scottish Labour.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray agreed that “reform is essential” for the NHS, adding: “We know people are waiting too long for treatment but remain determined to reduce waiting times.
He continued: “This year we are providing more than £19.5 billion for health and social care and under this government funding for the NHS has increased in real terms by 30%. But we are determined to continue to improve our NHS and the Budget we set out tomorrow will throw the weight of the government behind performance improvements and ensure we can tackle the challenges in our health service.”
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