Scotland’s NHS is not safe in SNP hands - Ian Murray
The First Minister made a pledge during his keynote speech at the SNP conference in Aberdeen, promising a network of 15 NHS walk-in centres across the country, but only if they are re-elected – despite being the govern-ment for the last 18 years.
If only he and his government had an ounce of credibility on the NHS. Already there are serious questions over how this proposal could be delivered, with the vice chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland saying it is “not immediately clear” where the workforce will come from.
It's typical of this Scottish Government: a half-baked, light-on-detail, desperate proposal designed to earn a good headline on the day but ultimately bound to end up in the ‘failed delivery’ basket.
This has been the story of their 18 years in power. Announce something with razzamatazz, take the credit, then deliver nothing. If it was not a gimmick, why has it taken 18 years to propose this?
It’s a ludicrous announcement when the Scottish Government can’t even provide basic GP services today, something which has been a particular problem in south Edinburgh for years, as many residents will know.
Just this week, we had the news that Polwarth Medical Practice will close. This is incredibly disappointing at a time when Edinburgh South is already 10,000+ GP places short. We should not be closing well run practices when we’re in the middle of a GP crisis.
I've been campaigning to improve local provision and access through my GP campaign for years. I am meeting with NHS Lothian to express my serious concerns with this decision and to demand a way forward.
Meanwhile, across Scotland, the number of GP practices has fallen by 10 per cent over the last year and the number of GPs working full-time has also declined.
Additionally, the latest A&E figures show that, in the week ending 5 October, 3667 patients spent more than eight hours in A&E, with more than 1500 waiting longer than 12 hours. While John Swinney claims his government is doing all it can to cut waiting times, these figures show the problem is getting worse.
Moreover, new figures reveal that the number of NHS patients going private has soared 128 percent in just five years, and that private healthcare activity in Scotland hit record highs in 2025.
Behind these statistics are individuals and families suffering the very real consequences of SNP incompetence. People are going private not because of a sudden increase in means, but because they’re desperate. They’re raiding their savings to borrowing money to access the care they need, while those who have no savings must wait months or years in pain.
The UK Labour government has delivered a record budget settlement for Scotland, an extra £5.2 billion since the election. Where has the money gone?
Meanwhile, in England, the Labour government has delivered over 5 million additional appointments on the previous year, with the lowest number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment in three years.
This doesn’t have to be as good as it gets in Scotland. A Scottish Labour government under Anas Sarwar will do whatever it takes to fix the NHS. Like so much else in our country, the NHS urgently needs a change in direction and a change in Scottish government.