Swinney vows to bring down number of Scots on NHS waiting lists
The First Minister hopes the Government’s plans for a National Care Service will not be an ‘impediment’ to reaching a budget deal.
John Swinney has vowed to fix problems faced by Scotland’s NHS, such as delayed discharge, saying he hopes to reduce the number of Scots on waiting lists by the end of the year.
The First Minister was questioned about the SNP Government’s record on the NHS after he gave a speech in Edinburgh, warning of a “catastrophic” reduction in service delivery if MSPs fail to pass a budget by the late February deadline.
He also said he hopes the Government’s plans for a National Care Service (NCS), which have been rejected by opposition parties, will not be an “impediment” to reaching a deal on the budget.
The SNP leader’s speech warned that populism would be fuelled if the public believe politicians are not delivering, saying this would be the outcome of Holyrood failing to agree a budget.
Speaking to journalists following his speech, Mr Swinney was asked about the Government’s plans for the NHS and if the total figure for Scots on NHS waiting lists – thought to be more than 800,000 – would fall by the end of the year.
He said: “That’s our objective”.
Discussing delayed discharge in Scottish hospitals, also known as bed blocking, he said: “My assessment of that is that we probably would have seen a much larger increase in delayed discharge had we not taken the actions that we’ve taken to reduce that as much as we possibly can do.”
It was put to Mr Swinney that failures in public service delivery are the factors fuelling populism and the far right, with the First Minister being asked what responsibility he takes for this.
He said simply: “I’m going to fix it.”
Mr Swinney was also quizzed on the Government’s plans to create a National Care Service and how this is impacting the budget negotiations.
Both the Scottish Greens and Lib Dems, seen as the most likely candidates to strike a deal with the SNP, are opposed to the NCS.
Mr Swinney told the PA news agency he is looking “at the parliamentary arithmetic”, adding: “I certainly wouldn’t want to get to a situation where that became an impediment to us reaching an agreement.
“What I think we’re all agreed upon is there have to be good outcomes for individuals who interact with health and social care.”
During his earlier speech, Mr Swinney insisted there will be “real damage done” to the NHS if opposition MSPs block his budget – claiming this could see operations cancelled and medicines rationed.
The Scottish First Minister warned of a “catastrophic reduction in service delivery” if Holyrood fails to pass the Government’s budget for the coming year.
A loss of £2 billion additional funding planned for health care could also put planned pay rises for doctors and nurses “under threat” Mr Swinney said, adding that “strict” emergency spending limits that would have to be introduced if the budget is not approved could potentially even threaten the Government’s ability to keep the lights on.
Spending would also be limited to month by month, Mr Swinney added, saying: “As an example, it might mean we cannot spend any more money on health and social care in April 2025 than we did in April 2024.”
