John Swinney must take decisive action and keep his promises to improve patient care in Scotland’s NHS, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay raised reports from Audit Scotland on GP care and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) on A&E services.
The Audit Scotland report highlights multiple promises on GPs that the SNP did not keep and calls for “a clear delivery plan for general practice by the end of 2025 that includes specific actions, timescales and costs”.
The HIS report says that it has become the norm at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for ambulances to be queued up outside and patients to be treated in corridors.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Two separate reports today confirm the crisis in Scotland’s NHS.
“Patients are waiting far too long for appointments and treatment at general practices and A&E departments.
“These detailed reports make a number of recommendations that require urgent attention and full focus from John Swinney.
“Previous SNP promises to improve patient care have not been met. That must change. John Swinney needs to stick to his word and keep the commitments he has made to patients.
“The SNP government must take decisive action to put patient safety first.
“They must take forward sensible suggestions that could improve the experience for patients and help to reduce waiting times in Scotland’s NHS.”