Meeting of the Parliament 03 December 2014
The NHS is a fantastic institution. As the new Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, I am grateful for the opportunity to put on record my appreciation for the effort and dedication of those NHS staff who work tirelessly day in and day out to deliver a high-quality service. This is also my first opportunity to say what a privilege it is to have responsibility for the NHS in the Scottish Government.
The NHS must always strive to seek further improvements in the delivery of care, but we should not lose sight of where we have come from and the progress that has been made. We have a clear vision and direction for our health service as part of the 2020 vision for health and social care, which has secured and will continue to secure huge benefits as we move forward with integration over the next few years.
The NHS is our top priority and we are making significant financial investment in our health service. The NHS front-line resource budget will be protected and will receive an above-inflation increase in 2015-16. Indeed, the total health budget will receive a real-terms increase in 2015-16, which will take it to more than £12 billion for the first time. I think that there should be a shift in the debate towards considering how we can better use that significant resource. My job is to ensure that we use it to achieve the things that we need to achieve.