Michael Matheson’s “scandalous” record in charge of Scotland’s NHS is fully exposed by the Scottish Conservatives today.
The former SNP health secretary – who finally resigned in disgrace over his £11,000 iPad bill last week – missed SNP-set NHS related targets an “astonishing” 72 times, since taking on the role at the end of March last year.
Despite his predecessor – and now First Minister Humza Yousaf – adding NHS recovery to his Cabinet title, not a single target that was being missed before he took charge of Scotland’s NHS was being met by the time he resigned.
The analysis by the Scottish Conservatives show that the 95 per cent target for A&E patients to be seen within four hours – whether on a weekly or monthly basis – was missed 54 times during Matheson’s tenure.
The Falkirk West MSP also failed every single quarter of 2023 to meet either the 31 day or 62 day standard for cancer patients to begin treatment after being referred, while the target to ensure 90 per cent of young people seeking access to mental health services was also missed throughout his time.
Finally, the waiting time targets for inpatient and outpatients were also repeatedly missed as the backlog continued to soar on his watch.
Scottish Conservative deputy health spokesperson Tess White says Michael Matheson was the latest in a long line of SNP health secretaries who have “miserably failed” to get a grip of the crisis in Scotland’s NHS, and that only heightened in recent months when he was “completely distracted” by the scandal that had engulfed him.
She added that new SNP health secretary Neil Gray has inherited a “poisoned chalice” from Matheson and that suffering patients and frontline staff can ill-afford for targets to be missed going forward and called on him to adopt the “bold and ambitious” plans set out in the Scottish Conservatives new health paper.
Scottish Conservative deputy health and social care spokesperson Tess White MSP said: “This damning analysis fully exposes that Michael Matheson was never up to the job of running Scotland’s NHS.
“During the last few months of his tenure, he was completely distracted and discredited due to his £11,000 iPad bill and it was shameful that Humza Yousaf stood by him, and that he took so long to do the right thing and resign.
“Even before his focus was elsewhere, Michael Matheson’s record as health secretary was scandalous. Our analysis shows that in less than a year in his role, he missed key targets an astonishing 72 times.
“From A&E waiting times, to cancer treatment times and targets for vulnerable young people to access mental health services, Michael Matheson missed them all. He was the latest in a long line of SNP health secretaries – including Humza Yousaf – who have miserably failed to get a grip of the crisis facing Scotland’s NHS.
“If Michael Matheson even wants to keep an ounce of credibility after the scandal that has engulfed him, he should turn down his hefty severance package, which would be paid by the taxpayer. If he doesn’t – amid claims the report shows he lied to the Presiding Officer – then his position as a MSP is untenable too.
“Neil Gray has inherited a poisoned chalice thanks to Michael Matheson’s overwhelming failings. If he wants to avoid repeating his predecessor’s mistakes, he should take a leaf out the Scottish Conservatives bold and ambitious health paper and embrace our modern, efficient and local approach to our NHS.”
Notes:
NHS Scotland’s standards and targets are set out in its Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standards, which can be found on the Scottish Government website. (NHS Scotland Performance Against LDP Standards, 8 September 2022, link).
NHS Scotland failed to achieve the 95%-within-four-hours A&E target 54 times under Michael Matheson. This is every week, and every month, for which Matheson has been health secretary for which there is A&E attendance data. (A&E activity, 13 February 2024, link).
NHS Scotland failed to achieve adherence to the 95% referral-to-treatment cancer standards 6 times under Michael Matheson. For Q1, Q2, and Q3 of 2023, the 95% referral-to-treatment standards were failed, both for the 31-day urgent referral standard and the 62-day less urgent referral standard. (Cancer Waiting Times, 19 December 2023, link).
NHS Scotland failed to achieve adherence to the 90%-seen-within-18-weeks CAMHS target 3 times under Michael Matheson. For Q1, Q2, and Q3 of 2023, the 90%-seen-within-18-weeks standard was failed. (CAMHS Waiting Times, 5 December 2023, link).
NHS Scotland failed to achieve adherence to its outpatient and inpatient/day-case wait time targets 9 times out of 9 under Michael Matheson. The standard to have 95% of outpatient appointments within 12 weeks of referral has been failed 3 out of 3 times, as has the standard for 100% of patients to wait no longer than 12 weeks for inpatient or day case treatment after agreeing to it in hospital, as has the standard for 90% of planned/elective patients to commence treatment within 18 weeks of referral. (Inpatient and Outpatient Activity, 28 November 2023, link).
Note: we count ‘under Michael Matheson’ as including any measured time period for which Michael Matheson was Health Secretary at the end of it.