Scottish First Minister John Swinney is under pressure from unions and opposition parties to deliver concrete solutions to the ongoing crisis facing Scotland's National Health Service (NHS). Labour has criticized the government's performance in 10 key areas, including long waiting times at A&E departments and inadequate support for social care. Swinney is expected to address the issue in a major speech today, outlining plans to improve patient access to treatment and alleviate immediate pressures on the NHS. However, critics warn that promises alone won't be enough to address the deep-seated challenges facing the health service, which include staff shortages and a backlog of patients.
John Swinney has been warned that promises of 'jam tomorrow' won't fix Scotland's struggling NHS for patients or staff. Unions and opposition parties spoke out ahead of a major speech by the First Minister today on the future of the health service. Labour said the Scottish Government was failing in 10 key areas when it came to healthcare, including an inability to tackle bed-blocking in hospitals caused by delayed discharge.
The party also pointed to the more than 480,000 examples of Scots being forced to wait more than eight hours to be seen at an A&E ward since 2021. Jackie Baillie, the party's health spokeswoman, said: 'John Swinney may claim he is the solution we're all waiting for, but the veteran SNP politician has been at the heart of the Scottish government for 17 of the past 18 years. 'Under the SNP, nurses are treating patients in hospital corridors, ambulances are stuck outside A&E and social care is on its knees. 'Our NHS needs a change of direction and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.' Swinney is expected to use his speech to outline a series of actions aimed at giving patients better access to treatment. These include a plan to reduce the immediate pressures on the NHS and a shifting of the balance of care from acute services to the community – including improved support for GPs. Swinney is also expected to acknowledge the 'challenges' faced by the NHS while insisting the health service is 'fundamentally resilient and robust'. It comes at a time around one in six Scots are stuck on a waiting list for a hospital appointment, test, or treatment. Unison, which represents many health workers, said the priorities of patients and staff had to be at the heart of any programme to revive the NHS. Matt McLaughlin, the union's health co-lead, said: 'Patients and staff need action from John Swinney now. Promises of 'jam tomorrow' won’t solve the many critical problems the NHS is facing today. 'The NHS has a staffing crisis. NHS workers need to know how the government will fill vacancies, improve pay, transform social care and give better patient care.
NHS Scotland Health Crisis John Swinney Labour Party Waiting Times Staffing Shortages
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