Meeting of the Parliament 03 December 2014
The member could do with a dose of self-awareness, given where we have been with the A and E departments in Lanarkshire. It was this Government that saved the A and E department at Monklands.
A recent report by the Nuffield Trust for Research and Policy Studies and Health Services into elective waiting times across the four United Kingdom countries found that Scotland had the shortest waits for nine out of 11 common procedures, including hip replacements and cataract removal.
On unscheduled care, it is clear that challenges remain, although it should be noted that performance in Scotland’s core accident and emergency departments remains the highest among all UK countries and significantly above the level that we inherited.
We could not deliver that performance without the dedicated, highly motivated and hard-working staff in the NHS. We have a clear vision for our NHS workforce and, of course, we have committed to ensuring that NHS Scotland staff are rewarded fairly for the work that they do. That is why, unlike England and Wales, we have accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies on pay for 2014-15 and why we have a policy of no compulsory redundancies. We are ensuring that all NHS staff are paid at least the living wage. That will ensure that our staff are well motivated and well rewarded for the job that they do.
However, I am not complacent. I spoke earlier today about the challenges that have been identified in NHS Grampian and last week about the Vale of Leven report. The Government will not shy away from acknowledging and addressing the challenges that the NHS faces, and neither will I.
Winter planning is a key part of our unscheduled care programme. With boards and their partners, we have developed winter plans to prepare for the disruptions that winter can bring. NHS boards are also testing and communicating their business continuity plans to ensure that critical services are maintained.
I am clear that, to deal with those challenges, my focus in the next few months must be on driving forward the shift in the balance of care, driving forward health and social care integration and dealing with delayed discharge. In presenting the Government’s programme for the year ahead, the First Minister made it clear that addressing delayed discharge is one of our key priorities and it is one to which I give my personal commitment.