Meeting of the Parliament 04 June 2024
I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of members’ interests: I am a practising NHS general practitioner.
The future of our national health service is of the utmost importance to the people of Scotland and to the more than 180,000 serving NHS Scotland staff. In fact, healthcare professionals and patient groups have been calling for a national conversation on the NHS for years, and we know why.
As our population ages; as more people suffer from chronic diseases, from mobility issues and from poor mental health; as life expectancy in Scotland falls; and as arthritis and musculoskeletal problems affect one third of our population, this debate is long overdue. With Scots in our most deprived areas being twice as likely to die from cancer; with one in seven Scots on an NHS waiting list; with accident and emergency waiting targets unmet in four years; with cancer referral standards unmet in a decade; and with the number of whole-time equivalent GPs decreasing at a time when the number of registered patients is growing, this debate is long overdue.
Ideally, the debate should transcend politics. The Scottish Conservatives were prepared for this crucial conversation early in February, when we published our paper, “Modern, Efficient, Local”. Since then, the Scottish National Party Government has been conspicuously silent and has yet to bring a coherent vision to the table. The SNP is devoid of any substantive proposals. That is not just disappointing—it is a neglect of duty. Instead of stepping up to the plate, either by publishing a plan before the Opposition did or—at least—responding to our call for a national conversation, the Scottish Government chose to bide its time.
I appreciate that the Government was somewhat distracted by the forced change of health secretary. However, if the SNP spent more time and energy thinking about the NHS than about its own travails, a colleague’s bill for data roaming or its politics with the Greens, then maybe—just maybe—we could get serious about NHS reform.
So, here we are. In the midst of a heated general election campaign, the SNP has suddenly decided to bring this crucial debate to the chamber. However, the timing is no accident: it coincides with the SNP’s general election headline on the NHS. Despite the clear reservations of the two largest Opposition parties, the SNP has chosen to manipulate Scottish parliamentary time in order to serve its UK general electioneering purposes. That is an affront to every Scot who relies on the NHS and to every healthcare professional who dedicates their life to serving others.
This is not the time for crafty manoeuvres or underhand tactics. This is the time for honest, robust and urgent dialogue about how we ensure that the NHS can continue to provide world-class care.
Despite the SNP and its political chicanery, we come today armed with ideas and with a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. Our vision is for an NHS in Scotland that is modern, efficient and local, and one that is accessible for all of our population—urban, rural and island.