John Swinney says SNP's NHS plan 'working'

John Swinney has pledged to further improve NHS performance.  

The first minister is expected to be in Dundee today, where he will highlight that the SNP’s NHS “plan is working”. 

He will highlight new GP walk-in centres, which are open seven days a week, and the decrease in waiting times for treatment.  

However, this comes a week after the Scottish Government reported that its target to eliminate waiting times of over 52 weeks for NHS treatment will be missed, despite the figure decreasing over the last eight months. 

While the most recent Public Health Scotland data shows that performance against the four-hour A&E waiting time target, which states that 95 per cent of patients should be seen within four hours, remains well short, with only 64.9 per cent of patients seen in that time. 

Ahead of the visit, Swinney said: “The SNP is focused entirely on the priorities of the people of Scotland – improving the NHS, increasing support with the cost of living and delivering the fresh start of independence. 
 
“And I know that the NHS is people’s top priority, and that is why we have worked tirelessly to deliver improvements.  
 
“Long waits have fallen for eight months in a row, GP numbers are up, the number of operations in rising and GP walk-in centres are springing up in communities across Scotland. Our NHS has turned a corner.” 
 
He added: “We know what we will get from Labour on the NHS in this campaign – we know because we have heard it all before. They will make big promises that they do not even try to keep. 
 
“And Nigel Farage’s Reform UK simply cannot be trusted with our NHS – we know that they would sell it to the highest bidder the second they got the chance. 
 
“The SNP is the only party with a plan to deliver for our health service. That plan is working, and we are determined to see it through. 

“That is what people in Scotland will get from me and the SNP Government – strong, experienced leadership that is making our NHS better.” 

Reacting to Swinney’s pledge, Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, said the first minister is “cynically attempting to pull the wool over people’s eyes” over the state of the NHS.  

She said: “Thousands of people are still waiting for hours longer than they should be in A&E departments, with the SNP having failed to meet their own 95% waiting times target for, shockingly, six years. 

“And just this month, the SNP failed to meet their promise to eradicate year-long waits for inpatient and outpatient appointments, despite having promised to do so. 

“Hardworking staff have also been pushed to breaking point due to SNP negligence, relying on pagers and fax machines because of the utter failure of ministers to modernise the service, never mind introducing a working NHS app. 

“If analogue John had any ideas about how to fix our NHS, he would have done so by now. A Scottish Labour government will make cutting waiting times a day-one priority, using capacity wherever it is available, and embracing new technology. 

“Scottish Labour will offer the people of Scotland the chance to take a new direction with Anas Sarwar as first minister.” 

The Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesperson Susan Murray said: “If you've been to an accident and emergency in Scotland in the last few years, you will know not to trust a word that comes out of John Swinney's mouth on the NHS.  

“From A&Es to cancer waiting times to the erosion of NHS dentistry – wherever you look in our health service – you will find decay.  

“We've been waiting for a new health and care centre in Strathkelvin and Bearsden for years.  

“Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to get everyone the first-rate healthcare they need when they need it, and you can set those plans into motion by backing us on both ballot papers in May.”