Cross party calls for action over the state of the NHS in Scotland
There is growing cross party concern about the state of the NHS in Scotland.
The Scottish Conservative party say they will attack the SNP’s “blame game” on the NHS in Holyrood this week, following more revelations about Scotland’s ailing health service.
They will use their party business on Wednesday to highlight a series of examples from across the country where they say SNP ministers have abandoned responsibility and instead hung health boards out to dry.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said:
''At least half of Scotland’s mainland health boards have suffered major problems in recent years, yet the SNP government takes no responsibility whatsoever. The nationalists only want to play a blame game.
We’ve got major construction issues in Lothian, Glasgow and Grampian.
That’s on top of governance chaos in Tayside, a bullying crisis in the Highlands and financial fiascos in Ayrshire and Arran.
The SNP has had complete control over health for more than 12 years in Scotland.
This can’t all just be the fault of individual health boards - it all comes home to this nationalist administration.
And that’s what happens when you have a Scottish Government which instead of focusing on things that matter, has instead prioritised Scottish independence.
It is long past time SNP ministers got a grip on the growing problems facing Scotland’s health services.
As each SNP health secretary comes and goes its clear they have no new ideas or vision for our Scottish NHS. Just bluster, blame and deflection.''
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour has repeated demands for a public inquiry into major hospital scandals in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
It comes as there are delays to the opening of the Royal Children’s Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh and the flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow remains subject to an independent probe after patients died after contracting hospital acquired infections.
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Health Secretary Monica Lennon MSP said:
''Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has no grip whatsoever on the chaos and farce at Scotland’s biggest hospitals. She has lost control of the NHS and patients are being failed.
Accusations of a safety cover-up at the QEUH are growing by the day and the families of Scotland’s sickest children are rightly demanding answers.
Money is being thrown at these broken hospitals in Glasgow and Edinburgh in a desperate attempt to make them safe, but no one is prepared to take any blame.
The only way we’ll get to the truth and hold those responsible to account is through an independent public inquiry. Nicola Sturgeon must put the people before her party and agree to a public inquiry into the QEUH and Sick Kids scandals without any further delay.''
Nicola Sturgeon has said she ''deeply regrets'' that Edinburgh's new children's hospital will not open for at least another year.
In response to concerns about thw Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow (QEUH) the Scottish Government says patient safety is paramount and a review has been comissioned by the Health Secretary, looking at the design, build and commissioning for maintenance at the QEUH.