SNP urged to 'get a grip' of NHS as millions spent on consultancy services
Scottish health boards have spent public money on a range of consultancy services.
SNP ministers have been told to “get a grip" on NHS Scotland's use of external consultants after new figures revealed that health boards across the country have spent millions on external management consultants since 2019/20.
The public money spent on consultants includes £97,000 paid by Public Health Scotland to KPMG in 2022-23 and £205,692 paid by NHS Highlands to a company specialising in conflict management resolution.
Other spending include a £1,230 fee paid by NHS Lothian for cancelling at short notice and £23,477.76 spent by The State Hospital — a high-security psychiatric hospital — on a media strategy.
In total, health boards spent more than £53 million on management consultants in the years between 2019/20 and 2023/24, although in some cases this figure includes capital spend and building projects which required outside consultants.
READ MORE: The scandal of Scottish NHS nurse forced to go private by long waiting list for urgent health check
Only some of the health boards provided a breakdown of spending, and as not all health boards responded, the total figure is likely to be even higher.
Scottish Labour's health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, said: "While outside expertise will always be needed, these figures show that at a time when our hospitals and surgeries are under pressure, health boards are still haemorrhaging cash.
"The SNP must get a grip on health boards' spending and ensure that where money does go to external consultants, it can be clearly justified.
"It's the Scottish Government which should show leadership when it comes to reforming our health service, yet after nearly two decades the SNP is out of ideas.
"The reality is that John Swinney and the SNP have no meaningful plan, no strategy and no ideas to save our NHS.
"A Scottish Labour government will make sure our NHS is free and available at the point of need, declare a national waiting times emergency, end the 8am rush for a GP appointment and do whatever it takes to fix the NHS."
The statistics show that Public Health Scotland paid £97,000 to KPMG for consultancy in relation to a review of portfolio, programme and project management, as well as “business services capabilities and redesign”.
NHS Highland paid out £205,692 to Conflict Management Plus Ltd, a company which describes itself as “supporting employers with workplace relationship issues”.
NHS Lothian faces a £1,230 fee from BSI Management Systems over a “short notice visit cancellation charge”. Meanwhile the State Hospitals Board for Scotland paid McClaw's Consultancy £23,477 for "consultancy on developing proactive material for media”.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Spending on external consultants is a tiny fraction of the NHS budget.
“NHS boards make decisions on their spending, including the use of external consultants and overseas travel, where this is necessary to provide the most effective services.
“This information is published to ensure transparency and discussions are held on a regular basis with each NHS board on how it is utilising its resources to ensure value for money.”
In June, Finance Secretary Shona Robison published her Government’s long-delayed medium-term financial strategy, which starkly warned ministers are braced for a funding gap of £2.6bn for day-to-day revenue spending and £2.1bn for capital investment plans by 2030 to cover proposed spending commitments.
More than 12,000 jobs in the devolved public sector workforce, including the NHS, are set to be cut in the coming years to make the target. Ms Robison has not ruled out compulsory redundancies if all other methods do not produce results at the scale required.
She confirmed the Scottish Government would cut the devolved public sector workforce by 0.5 per cent on average per annum over the next five years.
The Scottish Government’s public service reform strategy commits to reducing the annual combined corporate costs of the government and Scotland’s public bodies by £1 billion over the space of five years.
READ MORE: NHS Scotland health board extends funds plea to public to plug 'unprecedented' £33m deficit
One NHS health board has issued an urgent plea to the public to help it cover a multi-million pound deficit.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway (NHS D&G) said the move was to help plug a £33.6 million gap between the funding available and what is needed to maintain services in their existing form this financial year.
The health board is leaning on public support, having launched a campaign to urge people to only order the medicine they need to save pennies.
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