For 6,000 patients like Gerard who’ve spent two years on NHS waiting lists, May's election really matters
Patients anywhere in England can now download the NHS app, while the SNP’s version is only available to dermatology patients in Lanarkshire
Last year I wrote about Gerard, who had never taken a sick day from his delivery job until he felt crippling pain in his leg. His GP immediately referred him for both hip and knee surgery, but when I spoke to him in June, he’d been waiting for 76 weeks.
Nine months later, Gerard is still waiting, and although he had been told he might receive surgery this month, at time of writing he’d yet to receive confirmation.
Gerard is just one of the 6,000 Scots who’ve spent more than two years on an NHS waiting list; 50,000 have waited more than a year, with more than 786,000 on inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic waiting lists.
Promise after broken promise
The SNP pledged to end all waits of over a year by this month. They made the same promise in 2022 but failed to deliver. And Scots are still waiting. This is the reality of Scotland under the SNP, a party that makes promise after broken promise without facing the consequences.
If we were talking about any other country, the UK pundits would be earnestly discussing the impact of a complacent, secretive government on public services and people’s life chances.
That attitude suits the SNP, whose MPs seek the limelight at Westminster while the government with real power in Holyrood quietly lets things slide. But May’s election isn’t about protest or about sending a message. It’s about who governs Scotland, and whether John Swinney and the SNP get a third decade, or Scotland finally gets the change it needs.
Here’s one example of how Scotland is falling behind under the SNP. Just look at your phone. In England, patients can now download an NHS app and order repeat prescriptions, look at their test results and book GP appointments. In Scotland, the SNP’s NHS app is only available to dermatology patients in Lanarkshire.
Milly’s Law
Then there’s the darker side of governments that do not think they need to be held accountable which was evident in the reaction to the deaths at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
At the time, incompetent ministers ignored infection alerts and now we have the unsavoury spectacle of those in power trying to pass the buck rather than engage with patient safety.
A Scottish Labour government would rebuild trust with patients and pass Milly’s Law to give new rights for bereaved families. We will make tackling waiting times a day-one priority – ending health board obstacles and having the money follow the patient so we use all the capacity we have.
And we’ll come up with a proper workforce plan for NHS staff, ending the scandal where those who have spent years training cannot find jobs, and at the same time ensuring that doctors, dentists and nurses who have benefited from taxpayer-funded training spend their formative years working for the NHS.
It can be easy to get frustrated if you can’t get an appointment or you are waiting at A&E, and to feel like there is nothing that can be done to change the status quo.
But the upcoming election has real consequences. Scots can vote for Anas Sarwar to be the First Minister and a Scottish Labour government that is transparent and accountable. The future of our NHS depends on it.
Jackie Baillie MSP is Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson
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