SNP spending choices robbed NHS of £700 million

 Scottish Conservatives press release

 

The SNP’s decision to not increase spending on Scotland’s NHS in line with UK levels has deprived hospitals and patients of £700 million, research has revealed. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) confirmed that, since 2009/10, the UK Government has increased health spending in real terms by 4.4 per cent. Alex Salmond claimed he would match NHS funding south of the border, but in the same period the level of spending actually dropped by 1.2 per cent. Had the SNP matched Westminster spending, Scotland’s NHS would have benefited from an additional £700 million.

 The SNP previously tried to rubbish the IFS claims, stating its analysis had also included spending commitments like the Commonwealth Games, therefore skewing the statistics. However, the IFS contacted the SNP on September 17 to make clear this was not the case, and the comparison between health budgets in Scotland and England was like-for-like. Despite this, both health secretary Alex Neil (on September 24) and Alex Salmond (today during First Minister’s Questions) continued to stick to the line that the IFS report was incorrect.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson MSP said: “The Prime Minister promised to increase health spending in real terms – and he has. Alex Salmond made a pledge to increase NHS spending – but he has broken this to the tune of £700 million. He now has to explain where that money has gone, and what the SNP is going to do to ensure spending on the NHS increases in years to come.

“What’s worse, the SNP attempted to rubbish the analysis by the IFS – an independent body – in the run up to the referendum. Despite being told in great detail that this was wrong on September 17, both the health secretary and the First Minister have repeated this blatant inaccuracy as recently as today. That’s not good enough, and a thoroughly pathetic way to try to wriggle out of some very damning analysis.

“It’s ironic that the Scottish Government tried to fight a referendum on the NHS, when all the while it was cutting the very same budgets that were being increased south of the border.”