National Health Service

Over 2022/23, health spending stands at £18 billion – that’s an increase of over 90%, in cash terms, under the SNP (since 2006/2007).

SNP Manifesto: “Under the SNP, funding for Scotland’s NHS has more than doubled and NHS staffing is at a record high – with far more doctors and nurses per head in Scotland than south of the border.”

Health spending has risen in all UK countries to record levels.

When the Labour Government introduced Devolution to Scotland, spending per person on health was higher in Scotland than in either England or Wales. In 1999–2000, Scotland spent 22% more per person on health than England, but by 2019–20 this had fallen to 3% more per person. Under current plans, Scotland will spend around 3% more than England per person in 2024–25. In both 2018–19 and 2019–20, Wales spent more on health per person than Scotland, a trend that is set to continue under the current budgets.

Under the SNP government, we have over 28,000 more doctors, nurses and other health staff in Scotland’s NHS – that’s 22.7% more under the SNP.

Moreover, data from NHS Scotland has showed as of July 2023 a record number of trainee doctors positions (1,061 of the 1,137) have been filled- with the total higher than last year’s record by 100 posts.

And per head of population, Scotland has significantly more NHS staff than England – 2,852 per 100,000 people, compared to 2,178 south of the border.

SNP Manifesto: “Under the SNP, funding for Scotland’s NHS has more than doubled and NHS staffing is at a record high – with far more doctors and nurses per head in Scotland than south of the border.”

NHS staff levels have risen but there has been a large fall in measured productivity.

In July–September 2023, the NHS employed 11% more consultants, 16% more junior doctors and 8% more nurses than pre-pandemic in Scotland. In England the increases were higher at 14%, 24% and 15%. Measured hospital activity fell rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland and has still failed to recover fully. In April–June 2023, the Scottish NHS treated 8% fewer elective day-case patients, handled 8% fewer emergency admissions and 8% fewer outpatient appointments and treated 21% fewer elective inpatient admissions than pre-pandemic.

The performance in England on all elective and emergency admissions also reduced but by less than in Scotland. In England there was an increase in outpatient appointments of 4%.

Scotland’s core A&Es continue to be the best performing in the UK for over 7 years.

In December 2022, in terms of waiting times, Scotland’s A&Es were performing 8.8% better than the NHS in Tory-run England, and 4.7% better than Labour-run Wales.

A&E waiting times in Scotland are better than in England, but they have deteriorated more.

In November 2023, 64% of patients waited less than four hours in Scotland, and 55% waited less than four hours in England. A&E waiting time performance was therefore worse in England than in Scotland. But Scotland started from a much higher pre pandemic baseline, and so the decline in performance since the start of the pandemic was substantially greater in Scotland.

For over five years and counting, Scotland has had the highest number of GPs per head of population in the UK.

The number of GPs may be higher but many are working part time, and the service provided has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The number of FTE (full-time equivalent) fully qualified GPs has been decreasing, and there are now 197 fewer FTE GPs in Scotland than there were in 2013, a decrease of more than 5%. Between January and October 2023, there were 6% fewer direct interactions with GPs than over the same period in 2019, and 3% fewer direct interactions with other primary care professionals (Public Health Scotland, 2023).

The SNP abolished prescription fees in Scotland, which are now £9.35 per item south of the border – saving people with chronic conditions over £100 a year.

Free but no health care improvement.

A BMJ study did not find sufficient evidence that universal free prescriptions was a demonstrably effective or ineffective policy, in terms of reducing hospital admissions or reducing socioeconomic inequality in hospital admissions, in the context of a universal, publicly administered medical care system, the National Health Service of Scotland.

Since the SNP came into office, the number of people registered with an NHS dentist has doubled – now at around 5 million. Scotland has the most dentists per head of population in the UK – 57.3 dentists per 100,000 people, compared to 42.9 in England and 45.7 in Wales.

Still too few dentists.

In the three years September 2019 – September 2022, the number of dentists in Scotland has dropped to 3,438, the lowest number since 2011. The supply of dentists is forecast to fall short of the number of dentists required to maintain current registration rates.

Thanks to an earlier detection and more effective screening, more people in Scotland are surviving cancer than ever before.

Between 2012 and 2021, cancer deaths have fallen by 11% – and we’re investing even more to improve prevention, early detection and cancer treatments.

Cancer mortality has reduced, but it reduced more in England.

Over the 10-year period from 2012 to 2021 age-adjusted cancer mortality rate for all cancers combined did decrease by 11%. However, between 2001 and 2021 in England, age-adjusted rate of cancer deaths fell by 23% among men and 16% among women.

Target waiting times for cancer treatment are not being met in Scotland.

Scotland was the first country in the UK to have a mental health waiting times target, and our NHS Recovery Plan ensures at least 10% of all frontline health spending will be on mental health.

We’re recruiting 320 additional Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workers and 1,000 mental health link workers in communities.

79.4% of people started their treatment within 18 weeks of referral, compared to 78.8% of people for the previous quarter, and 81% of people for the quarter ending September 2022.

Meeting the Mental Health Treatment Standard?

The Scottish Government standard states that 90% of people should start their treatment within 18 weeks of referral to psychological therapies. Between September 2019 and September 2023, the standard was met only in one quarter of cases.

In England the target is 95%. In 2022/23 98.3% of those finishing a course of treatment had their first appointment within 18 weeks of referral.