The First Minister today defended her government's record despite a “damning” Audit Scotland report on the state of Scotland’s NHS.
At FMQs, Douglas Ross challenged Nicola Sturgeon on both Audit Scotland’s findings and startling evidence from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) that delays in patients being seen at A&E wards had led to 500 excess deaths last year.
The Scottish Conservative Leader insisted the annual report from Audit Scotland proved that the SNP’s Covid Recovery Plan was no blueprint for rebuilding the NHS post-pandemic and needed to be urgently redrawn.
The report, published today, states: “There is not enough detail in the plan to determine whether ambitions can be achieved in the timescales set out.”
It also highlights huge recruitment problems across the NHS, which the Scottish Conservatives blame on poor workforce planning by the SNP Government.
Douglas Ross also cited RCEM (Scotland) vice-president Dr John Thomson’s evidence to the Covid Recovery Committee today which outlined how 500 lives were needlessly lost in 2021 due to delays in patients being seen in emergency wards.
Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said: “Audit Scotland’s report is a damning verdict on this government’s plan to rebuild Scotland’s NHS.
“The report is clear that the SNP’s Recovery Plan will fail unless the Scottish Government recruits enough people with the right skills - and yet it also highlights that vacancies are at record highs throughout the health service. The First Minister’s plan doesn’t go far enough and must be redrafted.
“Scotland’s NHS staff have gone above and beyond throughout this pandemic to keep the public safe - but now they’re stretched to their limit.
“We know of burnt-out junior doctors leaving Scotland to work in health services elsewhere, so how will the First Minister’s plan cut down waiting times when staff are at breaking point or preparing to quit our NHS altogether?
“The Audit Scotland report lays bare that Scotland’s NHS is on an emergency footing - and the RCEM evidence to Parliament’s Covid Committee spells out starkly the tragic cost of the SNP Government’s failure.
“The RCEM are clear that 500 lives were needlessly lost last year due to delayed A&E admissions. That’s heart-breaking and unacceptable.
“The SNP were warned time and again about the consequences of failing to tackle rising A&E waiting times - but they didn’t act early enough.”
