NHS in Scotland is not in crisis, says health secretary Neil Gray

Scotland’s NHS is not in crisis, health secretary Neil Gray has said.

The health service has been struggling in recent years with high waiting times, with more than 800,000 people currently on an NHS waiting list for a procedure or test, while a third of attendances at A&E are waiting more than four hours to be seen.

But Gray – who has held the post since February – said “most people get an incredibly good service” from the NHS.

Speaking to Holyrood magazine, he was asked if there is a crisis facing the NHS, to which he said: “No.”

He added: “For people that are waiting too long – and I accept readily that there are too many people waiting for too long for treatment – that feeling is going to be there.

“For staff that are feeling burnt-out or are feeling the frustration of not being able to get their patients treated, of course there is going to be that feeling as well.

“But I want to make sure that there is a realistic balance between the challenges that are there, that are clear, that are also not unique to Scotland, I need to make sure that we’re addressing those, but I also can’t allow a situation where all aspects of the health service are perceived in that way.

“Most people get an incredibly good service from caring, dedicated, committed, professional staff.

“They do so on time and they do so in an environment that is conducive to them getting good outcomes.”

Gray went on to say “there are challenges”, adding that he is “the first to accept that”.

He pointed to the decision to increase taxes in recent years, saying: “We are taking decisions to raise revenue – the decisions that we’ve taken around taxation are not easy, we’ve received criticism for them, but they’re precisely because we want to see that continued investment in our health service.

“This isn’t a health secretary that is ignoring challenges or isn’t taking responsibility. This is a health secretary and a Government that is facing up to them.”

But Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said the health secretary is “in denial”.

He said: “One in six Scots are on an NHS waiting list – if that doesn’t constitute a crisis, I dread to think what does.

“The reason the health secretary won’t accept what’s staring him in the face is because it would mean admitting how badly the SNP have let down patients and NHS staff.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie described the health secretary’s comments as “salt in the wound for all the Scots dealing with the deadly crisis in our NHS”.

She added: “With almost one in six Scots languishing on a waiting list and lives being put at risk weekly in overstretched A&Es, it is astoundingly out-of-touch to insist there’s no crisis.

“NHS staff do an incredible job in caring for us but they are let down by the SNP time and time again.

“Scotland deserves better than this incompetent and complacent SNP Government.”