Future of delayed Aberdeen treatment centre 'dependent on Autumn Budget'

The future of the long-promised Aberdeen national treatment centre depends on money from the UK chancellor’s Autumn Budget in three weeks, a Scottish minister has said.

Health secretary Neil Gray told MSPs on Wednesday that he remains “in hope” that money to take the project forward might be forthcoming.

The update comes nearly two years after the Government’s national treatment centre plans were first put on hold.

Four years ago, the Scottish Government promised to build a network of ten treatment centres, including one in Aberdeen.

The projects were expected to deliver around 40,000 new elective surgeries, diagnostics, and other procedures nationally by 2026.

However, in February 2024, all new plans to build hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres were put on hold for at least two years after the Scottish Government told NHS boards across the country that there was no money available for the projects.

In light of a “damning” report of NHS Grampian’s £68m overspend, North East Tory MSP Liam Kerr pressed the health secretary for an update about Aberdeen’s national treatment centre plans in front of Parliament on Wednesday.

“The full implications of the SNP Government and NHS Grampian’s failure to manage the finances remain unclear – including if there will be further delays to the promised national treatment centre,” Kerr said.

The Tory MSP asked the minister when Aberdeen would get the centre it had been promised.

In response, Gray admitted that funding for the national treatment centre would need to come from the UK Treasury in the Autumn Budget.

“There is currently a pause other than those areas that are currently in development, or those set out under ministerial priority,” Gray told MSPs.

“However, we await the Treasury and the Chancellor’s budget statement later this month, where I remain in hope that we might see an investment in our economy that would come from increased capital investment and allow us to take forward these projects much faster.”

Kerr later described the update from the health secretary as “disgraceful”.

“The health secretary’s announcement will not only impact patients, but it’s a hammer blow to staff who are absolutely exhausted and are leaving the NHS because they have no confidence in the workload improving,” he said.

“Neil Gray must stop the excuses, release the pause button, and finally give the go-ahead to Aberdeen’s national treatment centre.”