It paints a bleak picture, one the BMA and others have been warning of for some time. The financial sustainability of the NHS in Scotland is “concerning”; it has been since pre-Covid and things do not look to be getting any better with a predicted funding gap of £221.8 million across our health boards by the end of the year. Demand is outstripping capacity and the NHS simply cannot deliver what it is asked to under its current limitations, while ensuring it stays true to the fundamental value of remaining free at the point of delivery.

The report highlights the tension between the NHS Recovery Plan’s service delivery targets and the finances available to boards to meet them. We have said time and time again, without the funding and adequate staffing levels, we simply cannot meet the expectations and demands of the Scottish Government’s plan, let alone what we simply ask of the NHS day in, day out. The Scottish Government’s apparent refusal to truly reflect how challenging it has been for NHS boards to recover is frustrating and demoralising for staff who continue to do everything they can for their patients with extremely limited resources.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Transport Matters