An NHS for the Future
The NHS should be there for us when we need it. Labour established the NHS in the belief that improving the health of the population was to the benefit of our whole nation. Today in Scotland, though, the core principles upon which Labour first founded the NHS – universally available and free at the point of need – are at risk.
Following the pandemic, the SNP Government promised an NHS recovery plan, but this has failed to deliver for patients and staff. Hospital waiting lists have soared, patients struggle to access local GP services, and many are left for hours in pain waiting for ambulances or in A&E departments. Waiting time standards for mental healthcare and cancer treatment are regularly missed. Out of desperation, record numbers are turning to private healthcare.
The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the problems in our NHS but the independent review we commissioned from Mr Mike McKirdy shows that waiting lists were growing long before the pandemic. The problems the NHS faces are the result of decisions made by the SNP over the past 19 years.
Read more in the McKirdy Report.
Scottish Labour will always defend the NHS, but we also know that it cannot afford to stand still if it is to keep delivering for the next generation. That is why we will act to drive down waiting lists and modernise Scotland’s Health Service.
To Tackle the Huge Waiting List Backlog, Scottish Labour will:
· Declare a national waiting times emergency and create national waiting lists so patients can be treated anywhere in Scotland where there is capacity.
· Reform health board funding so that funding follows the patient, encouraging boards to make maximum use of their capacity and improve productivity by only paying them for the work they carry out.
· Use all available capacity in Scotland, even if that means purchasing capacity from the independent sector on a short-term basis so that patients do not have to pay out of pocket for treatment they should get on the NHS.
To End the 8am Rush for a GP Appointment and Improve Access to Local Healthcare, Scottish Labour will:
· Open negotiations on a new GP contract within the first 100 days, ending restrictions on advance appointment booking and ensuring the GPs prioritise patient outcomes.
· Support GPs to deliver smarter triaging so patients who need appointments get them within 48 hours.
· Bring back the family doctor and improve continuity of care for those patients with the greatest need.
· Shift resources into primary care so GPs can focus on prevention and help Scots live healthier lives.
To reduce the waste and bureaucracy in Scotland’s NHS we will:
· Reduce the number of territorial boards to three, cutting down on the number of chief executives and directors, and redirecting resources to the frontline to pay for more doctors and nurses.
· Streamline the number of special NHS boards to remove duplication.
· Embrace technological innovation to improve services, with online appointment booking and e-prescribing services.
· Creating 1,000 care at home packages and 300 step down beds, as a first step to reducing levels of delayed discharge in hospitals.
To Improve Services for Patients, Scottish Labour will:
· Establish new Emergency Mental Health Response Service, staffed by specially trained paramedics, nurses and mental health professionals so that people in mental health crisis get specialist NHS care, not merely a police response.
· Create a new national neurodiversity pathway so that neurodivergent people can get the right diagnosis and help instead of being stuck on inappropriate mental health waiting lists.
· Establish a new National Clinical Council that will directly advise Scottish Government Ministers on the adoption of reforms and innovations to improve patient outcomes.
· Reverse the decision to downgrade Wishaw Neonatal Unit, pausing the plans to centralise specialist neonatal units across Scotland.
· Legislate for Milly’s Law to end the culture of cover-up, establishing an independent public advocate who can act on behalf of bereaved families and investigate incidents so families get the truth when things go wrong.
