First Minister John Swinney’s plans to ‘renew’ the NHS in Scotland has received a mixed response from Lanarkshire politicians.
Mr Swinney laid out a plan to improve Scotland’s ailing health service in a speech in Edinburgh earlier this week.
The First Minister announced plans to provide 150,000 more appointments and procedures, as well as a £10.5 million increase in funding for GPs as well as a pledge to give more funding to primary care in the future, and pledging the creation of “frailty teams” to be at every A&E in the country to help those who could “bypass” emergency departments and free up capacity.
A total of £1.7 billion will be invested in frontline services delivered by NHS Lanarkshire.
Current Health Secretary, and Airdrie and Shotts MSP Neil Gray said: “I know many people locally have been calling for exactly this type of leadership to drive improvement in our NHS. We have listened and we have taken action – that is what you get with a John Swinney-led Government.
“Improving patient’s experience of our NHS is vitally important to the SNP Government, which is why we have announced record funding for health and care frontline services of £21 billion in the Scottish Budget.
“It is vitally important that the SNP Budget passes to allow all these plans and the investment in the new Monklands Hospital to move forward.
“Having campaigned for this new hospital for over a decade, I will be delighted if the vote goes our way. I think it would be difficult for other local MSPs to vote against something that our collective constituents desperately need.”
Mr Gray’s SNP colleague, Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said: “The plans outlined by the First Minister will make a real difference to people in Rutherglen and Cambuslang – ensuring that people get the care they require in good time by making it easier to get a GP appointment, and cutting waiting times.
“The NHS plays a vital role in all our lives and is there when we and our families need it.”
East Kilbride SNP MSP Collette Stevenson added: “I know many people in East Kilbride have been calling for these type of improvement in our NHS.
“These plans will make a huge difference.”
However, opposition parties were more sceptical of the First Minister’s plans.
Central Scotland list MSP Meghan Gallacher, from the Scottish Tories, said: “Patients and staff in Lanarkshire have heard it all before from John Swinney.
“He has been at the heart of an SNP government who have left local NHS services in a state of permanent crisis.
“Plans for a digital first strategy has been in the works for years so patients will be sceptical that this will come to fruition.
“The SNP have failed our health service for far too long and nothing in John Swinney’s speech this week will sort the emergency facing NHS Lanarkshire.”
Labour’s Monica Lennon added: “Anything that will ease the NHS crisis is welcome, but the facts show that the SNP has failed time and time again.
“Having been in government for almost 18 years, John Swinney and the SNP have had almost two decades to strengthen our health and social care services.
“Any new initiatives that hardworking NHS Lanarkshire staff are expected to deliver must be backed up with the right resources and a proper workforce plan to guarantee enough people in the right roles.
“Too many people in Lanarkshire are stuck on waiting lists or have been denied the care they need because SNP ministers failed to plan.”
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