SNP has shamefully neglected south of Edinburgh - Ian Murray

I have been writing my weekly article for the Edinburgh Evening News every Thursday for four years now, around the same length of time since NHS Lothian first warned that GP services in the city would “fail” if additional resources were not provided.

Jenni Minto

I write about the south Edinburgh GP crisis frequently, and I make no apologies as it is one of the largest, and most concerning issues facing local residents and the main topic I receive correspondence about.

Put simply, thousands of residents can’t access a doctor (not to mention a dentist).

And after funding for new services was pulled by the Scottish Government in February, it means 20,000 of my constituents will soon face that agonising battle.

That’s because the construction of new GP services on the new Liberton High School campus and at Gilmerton Gateway has been shelved.

NHS Lothian has been left high and dry as it had a full business case approved and a draft business case approved respectively. And the council’s pleas for action have been ignored.

It just so happens that today, Jenni Minto MSP – the SNP’s Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health – is visiting Conan Doyle Medical Centre in Liberton.

Although I want Scottish Government ministers to witness first-hand the wonderful hard work and commitment of our NHS primary care staff in south Edinburgh, she cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges in our NHS and I urge her to match that commitment and promise to restore the funding.

The area’s population and the number of new homes are growing exponentially, but because of Scottish Government inaction, the infrastructure needed to support these expanding and existing communities is nowhere to be found.

For years now I have amplified the dire warnings of NHS Lothian, petitioned local residents and written to ministers, but the silence from those in charge is deafening – even the local SNP MSP is mute. Yet again, in power, but not in office. They even deny a problem.

The Scottish Government is clearly comfortable with paying lip service to this issue and sending ministers off to GP surgeries for polished photo-ops, while failing to tackle the issue affecting thousands of Edinburgh residents. Frankly, residents deserve an apology.

Not only does the current situation put the mental and physical health of my constituents at risk at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is making primary care even more important than ever, it also has a damaging and costly effect on the NHS later.

That’s because as well as leaving tens of thousands of people without access to a GP, the decision to pull new funding is also making our A&E crisis an insurmountable problem. Residents and health professionals I have spoken to have very real fears about the knock-on effects this will have on the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s A&E department, and I share those fears.

Dedicated NHS staff are working tirelessly to deliver the best possible service, but the four-hour A&E waiting time target continues to be missed. The SNP has shamefully neglected the needs of people in the south of Edinburgh, ignoring attempts to increase healthcare options when those options are presented.

What is the point of a government which can’t do what it is supposed to do – provide NHS services and support for local infrastructure for residents?

Ian Murray is Labour MP for Edinburgh South