John Swinney promised to revamp Scotland’s NHS in his speech in Edinburgh yesterday. But we have heard it all before.
From Nicola Sturgeon to Alex Neil to Shona Robison, SNP politicians have regularly vowed to reform our health service in different ways.
Here are some of the many times that SNP ministers have pledged to relaunch Scotland’s NHS.
February 7, 2008
Then Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon pledged £270m to halve NHS waiting times less than a year after the SNP came to power.
The cash was supposed to ensure that patients wait no more than 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment by the end of 2011.
Sturgeon said at the time: “The people of Scotland deserve nothing less than a world-class healthcare system, where unnecessary waiting for treatment and care becomes a thing of the past.
February 3, 2011
Junior health minister Shona Robison unveiled the Scottish Government’s plans to switch care for the elderly from councils to the NHS.
Robison called the move to integrate health and social care the “most significant reform of care since the creation of the NHS“.
February 25, 2013
Health Secretary Alex Neil pledged £50m over three years for reform of emergency and urgent health care.
The plan included extra money to fund more doctors, a new approach to admissions and new minor injury units.
Officials described the changes as “the most significant ever”. Neil said the SNP Government was “making sure these services are fit for the future”.
March 6, 2017
Writing in the Daily Record, then first minister Nicola Sturgeon vowed to “further improve the way our NHS works” with increased funding of £500m above inflation for community health services.
The money was to go towards GP services, social care and mental health. Sturgeon said the reforms and investment would make the NHS “fit for the future”.
August 26, 2021
Nicola Sturgeon announced a £1bn boost for the NHS to help it recover from the pandemic. The NHS Recovery Plan aimed to “improve care” and tackle the backlog.
Sturgeon said: “This plan will drive the recovery of our NHS – not just to its pre-pandemic level, but beyond.” She added that she would “deliver an NHS that is innovative, sustainable and stronger than ever before.”
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