Meeting of the Parliament 18 January 2023
In opening the debate on the future of the NHS and social care in Scotland, I also want to talk about how we deal with the current crisis. However, I cannot help but note that it is only in Opposition time that we debate the NHS crisis. In Government, the Scottish National Party runs away from accountability.
Every day, lives are being put at risk due to the state of our health service; every day, staff are being asked to perform miracles under increasingly difficult conditions; and, every day, the situation further deteriorates.
At Christmas, the number of Scots who waited more than 12 hours at accident and emergency departments soared to its highest point on record—leaving almost 2,000 people a week stranded in waiting rooms for more than half a day. One in seven Scots is stuck on a waiting list, crucial cancer treatment targets are being badly missed and performance keeps falling to new lows. Delayed discharge has spiralled out of control, which has resulted in more than 1,900 beds being occupied every day by someone who is ready to be discharged but who is waiting for a care package that simply does not exist. The list of failures goes on and on.
Heroic NHS staff are exhausted and demoralised. It is right to thank them, but they do not simply want praise—they want action. The situation is so serious that Dr Iain Kennedy, the chair of the British Medical Association Scotland, has warned:
“There is no way that the NHS in Scotland can survive. In fact, many of my members are telling me that the NHS in Scotland has died already.”
That is a shocking observation from people who are on the front line. Our NHS has served the people of Scotland for decades, so the fact that the very existence of the NHS is now in danger is beyond belief.
For the past 15 years, the NHS in Scotland has been run by the SNP; it is entirely devolved. Cabinet secretary—that is on your watch. In the 600 days that you have been in office, you have performed worse than your predecessors, and things have got worse, not better. It is time that you took some responsibility for those serious failings.