John Swinney has ‘head in the sand’ on NHS woes

John Swinney has been accused of having his “head in the sand” over the state of the NHS after the publication of a critical report.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton both brought up problems with the health service at FMQs, following an Audit Scotland report warning it was “unsustainable”.

Auditors warned that despite record levels of investment, the NHS had not improved in line with government commitments.

Cole-Hamilton highlighted pressures on emergency departments in particular, revealing the case of Isobel Knights who was forced to wait several hours before being seen despite her heart temporarily stopping.

Isobel had been in the car with her husband Martyn when she had a seizure, during which she stopped breathing. Martyn had to administer chest strikes while driving, but when the pair arrived at A&E in Aberdeen Isobel was not seen immediately and had to wait in a corridor. It later became apparent key information had not been passed between staff.

Cole-Hamilton said: “Martyn and Isobel are absolutely clear: they’re not having a go at staff who looked exhausted that day in A&E.

“Emergency departments are backed up, because hospitals are rammed, because there are so many people stuck there, who should be in care homes or looked after at home. That’s what the Auditor General told us this morning.”

Meanwhile, Sarwar said the Audit Scotland report from “grim reading” for the first minister and “devastating” for patients and staff.

He highlighted more than 11,000 patients were still waiting two years for treatment, forcing many to turn to private healthcare.

Sarwar said: “Scots have been forced to pay at least £59 million of their own money, on top of their taxes, for cataracts and hip and knee replacements in the last year alone – breaching the frowning principles of our NHS… For those who can’t raise for money, they are left to wait in pain and anxiety. Why is John Swinney forcing Scots in need to choose between paying the financial cos of the human cost of his incompetence and failure?”

The first minister accepted there were challenges within the NHS due to the Covid pandemic, which created significant backlogs.

But he pointed to some improvements in waiting times and said the number of hip and knee operations taking place had reached an “all time high” last year, with operations more broadly back to pre-pandemic levels.

Swinney said: “While there are challenges, there’s progress being made and the plans that I’ve put in place to focus on long waits are not beginning to have effect.”

He continued: “This government is absolutely focused on making sure that the National Health Service meets the needs of people in Scotland as we recover from Covid and deliver on the expectations of the people in our country.”