I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and all NHS staff across the United Kingdom for the vital work you do. We all rely on the dedication and hard work of nurses, doctors, and other NHS staff, who go the extra mile to keep the NHS going.
Here in Scotland, the NHS is subject to the authority of the devolved Scottish Government, and faces a unique set of challenges.
For example, thanks to SNP mismanagement, NHS Scotland is now in the grips of a particularly severe staff shortage that has spread across the health service. Nursing and consultancy vacancy rates hit new highs last year, dozens of GP surgeries have had to be taken over by health boards due to staffing shortages, and one in eight planned operations in January 2018 had to be cancelled.
I believe that NHS Scotland needs serious reform if it is to overcome the challenges it faces, start attracting the staff it needs, and put a stop to the scandalous overstretching of current staff. My Scottish Conservative colleagues have set out fifteen proposals for what can be done, structurally, financially, and culturally, to tackle these challenges and help the NHS thrive here in Scotland.
You can find out more about the Scottish Conservatives’ plan for the NHS here.
Â