Latest news with #IainKennedy
Daily Record
06-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
NHS Scotland patients waiting more than 78 weeks for treatment skyrockets
NHS has seen figures half after launching a 10-year recovery plan - but Scotland lags far behind. THE number of patients waiting more than 78 weeks for treatment in Scotland has rocketed to 38,070 while in England the figure has halved to just 1154. The shocking statistic means 33 times more people are being forced to endure excruciating long delays north of the Border. It comes as NHS England launches a 10-year recovery plan along with plans for an updated app allowing patients to book appointment and even visit an 'AI doctor'. Dr Zubir Ahmed, a surgeon turned Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: 'After a 20 year career as a surgeon in the NHS – the majority of it working in Govan – I have seen the Scottish NHS at its best and now at its worst. 'Scotland's NHS has seen the 31-day and 62-day cancer waiting times standards missed, 860,000 Scots are stuck on NHS waiting lists for tests with a third considering private treatment. 'In the words of the esteemed chair of the BMA Dr Iain Kennedy, 'the figures show that the NHS is dying before our very eyes'. 'The NHS is dying despite more staff working ever harder and more money being spent on it than ever before. 'The frustrating part for me as someone who has worked in the NHS all my adult life is the solutions to these challenges lie within the NHS but in Scotland, we don't have a government that has the desire or will to change direction.' Ahmed has called for a greater use of technology to help drive up performance. He added: 'The UK Labour government will deliver a single patient digital health record controlled by the patient and accessible to any health professional that you want to see it. 'There will be neighbourhood health centres with advanced diagnostics capability open 12 hours a day, six days a week. 'The 10-year plan would mean an NHS in your pocket with a turbocharged NHS app to book and check appointments, interact with specialists who care for you and an AI enabled doctor next to you. 'While being able to contribute to this revolution excites me, it frustrates me too because, in the Scottish NHS, we remain on a different path of managed decline. 'We continue to churn analogue solutions for a digital age, burden staff with more administration and keep patients more and more at arm's length from their own healthcare information. 'There is no Scottish NHS app, no proper workforce plan and no strategy on how to embrace technology and no desire to learn the lessons how to do it better from other parts of the country. ' Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie added: 'Scotland's NHS is fighting for survival but the SNP is flat out of ideas. Elsewhere in the UK, people will benefit from falling NHS waiting lists, a cutting-edge NHS app and a comprehensive recovery plan. 'If the SNP was capable of fixing the crisis in our NHS, it would have done it by now. Our NHS might not survive a third decade of SNP government.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Latest figures show monthly A&E performance at its best since July 2023 and delayed discharge at its lowest since October 2023. 'Our plan to improve our NHS is working and we will build on this progress by increasing capacity and investing to tackle the longest waits to ensure patients get faster access to care.'
Times
24-06-2025
- Health
- Times
Third of Scots abandon ‘dying' NHS for private care
Almost a third of Scottish households have used private healthcare in the past two years, a survey reveals, as doctors' leaders warn the NHS is 'dying'. The majority of those who paid for treatment said they did so because waiting times on the NHS were too long. Iain Kennedy, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland, will tell a major UK conference on Tuesday that Scottish society is divided between those 'languishing' in line for treatment and those who can afford to pay to access care more swiftly. Research for the union found 17 per cent of Scots had used private medicine in the past two years and a further 14 per cent lived with someone who had. • NHS 'prioritising financial targets over care', report finds In an address to the Annual Representative Meeting of the BMA in Liverpool, Kennedy will say: 'It is abundantly clear that Scotland has been divided into those who can afford private healthcare and those languishing on ever longer NHS waiting lists. 'Now, I don't believe anyone made an active choice to pursue this path towards a private health service. Rather, it is a failure to get to grips with an evolving population and its health needs. But, be in no doubt, the NHS is dying before our very eyes.' The latest waiting times figures for Scotland, released last month by monitoring body Public Health Scotland, showed 63,406 people waiting for an initial hospital consultation for a year — up 34 per cent compared to March 2024. Almost a quarter of patients on treatment waiting lists had been queuing for a year, with 7,969 waiting more than two years. Kennedy, a Highland GP, told The Times his conversations with colleagues in England suggested waiting times were worse in Scotland than south of the border. He said: 'I had a patient recently asking me about private dermatology [skin] services and I said you are going to be waiting six months for private healthcare. We have under invested so much in healthcare in Scotland that not even the private sector is able to deal with the problems we have got ourselves into.' In December last year The Times revealed two year waits for NHS treatment were 100 times higher in Scotland than south of the border. Meanwhile, NHS England waiting times have fallen to their lowest level in two years at 7.39 million, down from 7.42 million, as of June. The new BMA poll, involving more than 1,200 Scottish residents, found 64 per cent of households which had used private healthcare did so because NHS waiting times were too long. To fund the care and treatment 20 per cent had reduced leisure activities, 9 per cent had cut essential items such as groceries and 9 per cent had borrowed money. Of those who had not used private healthcare, 46 per cent said it was because they could not afford it. According to data published by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) there were 46,000 private hospital admissions in Scotland in 2023, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year and up 31 per cent on 2019. Cam Donaldson, emeritus professor of health economics at Glasgow Caledonian University and author of the newly released book Financing Health and Social Care, said the survey findings reflected the 'crisis of access across the whole system'. He warned if enough 'middle class people' took out health insurance, they would start to demand tax breaks and the decline of the NHS would become irreversible. 'The best way out of this crisis is more public funding possibly through taxation,' he said. 'What will happen if we do nothing is this trend will continue and we are just going to come into this constant vicious cycle of gradual decline.' Kennedy will say at the conference that the BMA's warnings about the state of the health service in Scotland have been repeatedly ignored by the Scottish government: 'Patients are suffering, unable to access the care they need when they need it, or having to use their own hard-earned money to go private. Everyone knows it is unacceptable.' Sandesh Gulhane, a GP and the Scottish Conservative Party health spokesman, said: 'The fact that so many Scots are having to raid their life savings to go private for treatment isn't just unfair, it's immoral and at odds with the founding principles of our health service.' Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, described the survey findings as 'damning' and said the SNP had taken a 'wrecking ball' to the founding principles of the Scottish NHS. However, Neil Gray, Scottish health secretary, claimed the party was protecting a service publicly owned and free at the point of need. He said: 'That's why we are investing a record £21.7 billion in health and social care this year, including £106 million to deliver over 150,000 additional appointments and procedures. 'But we recognise some of the concerns raised by the BMA, and we are determined to deliver the reform our NHS needs to ensure it provides quality care for everyone who needs it now and into the future.'
STV News
24-06-2025
- Health
- STV News
NHS ‘dying before our eyes', BMA to say, as survey reveals Scots going private
The NHS is 'dying before our very eyes', the union representing doctors has warned, as a new poll revealed the extent of private medical care in Scotland. The survey, carried out by the Diffley Partnership for BMA Scotland, found nearly a third (29%) of Scots had accessed private treatment in the last two years or lived with someone who did. Dr Iain Kennedy, BMA Scotland chairman, said it was 'abundantly clear' that Scotland was now divided between people who could afford to go private – and those forced to 'languish' on NHS waiting lists. He warned the situation will get worse unless the Scottish Government takes immediate action to secure the future of the country's health system. According to the survey, 17% of Scots reported accessing private medical care in the last two years while 14% said a member of their household had done so. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents who had accessed private care for themselves or a member of their household said it was because the NHS waiting list was too long. Of those who underwent private treatment, 45% used personal savings while 20% said they had to cut back on leisure activities to afford it. Some 9% had to cut back on essential items such as energy and groceries while another 9% had to borrow money to fund private treatment. Nearly half (46%) of respondents who did not use private care in the past two years said it was because they could not afford to. Some 43% said their likelihood of using private healthcare had significantly or somewhat increased in the past few years. Meanwhile, 63% reported their confidence in being able to access a timely hospital appointment through the NHS had significantly or somewhat decreased in the past few years, as 60% said the same for GP appointments. In a speech to the BMA's 2025 annual representative meeting in Liverpool, Dr Kennedy will point to his warning last Christmas that the NHS would struggle to see another year with its founding principles remaining intact. He is expected to say: 'Our NHS should be free at the point of need. But, through today's research, I can reveal that almost a third of Scots say either they or someone in their household have had to use private healthcare within the last two years. 'Our survey showed that the majority are forced to do so, as waiting lists are simply too long. They just can't get the timely care they need. 'And it will only get worse, because 43% of those surveyed feel they are now more likely to go private. 'It is abundantly clear that Scotland has been divided into those who can afford private healthcare and those languishing on ever longer NHS waiting lists.' Dr Kennedy will say he does not believe the issue was a result of an 'active choice' but 'a failure get to grips with an evolving population and its health needs'. He will warn: 'But, be in no doubt, the NHS is dying before our very eyes.' The doctor will call for reform in four parts of the NHS, including a shift in the balance of care into the community, the instruction of a workforce plan to recruit and retain doctors as the population ages, a long-term focus on prevention and a 'more mature' approach to measuring the health service. He will tell BMA members on Tuesday: 'The chance to save our NHS remains. If we want to provide timely care to all, which is free at the point of need, then immediate action is required. 'We did ask the Scottish Government for a national conversation but were largely ignored. So, instead, NHS reform must now happen.' He will add: 'The impact of the Scottish Government repeatedly ignoring the warnings made by the BMA and many others is clear. Patients are suffering, unable to access the care they need when they need it, or having to use their own hard-earned money to go private.' The Diffley Partnership surveyed 1,203 people aged 16 or over between May 30 and June 4. The Scottish Government has been approached for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scotsman
24-06-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
NHS is 'dying before our eyes', warns doctors' union
BMA Scotland sounded the alarm after a new poll revealed the extent of private medical care Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The NHS is "dying before our very eyes", the chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland will warn today. Dr Iain Kennedy will sound the alarm after a survey found almost a third of Scots (29 per cent) said they or someone they lived with had used private care in the past two years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In a speech to the BMA's annual representative meeting in Liverpool, Dr Iain Kennedy will say it is 'abundantly clear' there is now a divide in Scotland between those who can afford private healthcare and those 'languishing' on NHS waiting lists. Staff on an NHS hospital ward | PA And he will warn the situation is likely to only get worse, as 43 per cent of respondents said they are now more likely to go private. Dr Kennedy is expected to say: 'Our NHS should be free at the point of need. But, through today's research, I can reveal that almost a third of Scots say either they or someone in their household have had to use private healthcare within the last two years. "Our survey showed that the majority are forced to do so, as waiting lists are simply too long. They just can't get the timely care they need. And it will only get worse, because 43 per cent of those surveyed feel they are now more likely to go private. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "It is abundantly clear that Scotland has been divided into those who can afford private healthcare and those languishing on ever longer NHS waiting lists. 'Now, I don't believe anyone made an active choice to pursue this path towards a private health service. Rather, it is a failure to get to grips with an evolving population and its health needs. But, be in no doubt, the NHS is dying before our very eyes.' Diffley Parternship surveyed 1,203 Scots on behalf of the BMA between May 30 and June 4. It found 17 per cent of respondents had accessed private medical care in the past two years and 14 per cent said a member of their household had. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A total of 64 per cent of those who reported accessing private care for themselves or someone they lived with said it was because the NHS waiting list was too long. Of those who accessed private care, 45 per cent used personal savings and 20 per cent said they had to cut back on leisure activities. Another 9 per cent had to cut back on essential items such as energy and groceries, while 9 per cent had to borrow money to fund private treatment. Nearly half (46 per cent) of those who did not use private care in the past two years said it was because they could not afford to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some 43 per cent said their likelihood of using private healthcare had significantly or somewhat increased in the past few years. Meanwhile, 63 per cent of respondents said their confidence in being able to access a timely hospital appointment through the NHS had significantly or somewhat decreased in the past few years, and 60 per cent said the same for GP appointments. In his speech today, Dr Kennedy is expected to say: 'The chance to save our NHS remains. If we want to provide timely care to all, which is free at the point of need, then immediate action is required. 'We did ask the Scottish Government for a national conversation but were largely ignored. So, instead, NHS reform must now happen.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He will add: 'The impact of the Scottish Government repeatedly ignoring the warnings made by the BMA and many others is clear. Patients are suffering, unable to access the care they need when they need it, or having to use their own hard-earned money to go private. 'Everyone knows it is why BMA Scotland will continue to shine a light on the dire state and worsening position of the Scottish NHS. 'And it's why we will go on fighting for our members, for our patients, and for a better future for Scotland's health service.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane, who is a practising GP, said: 'If BMA Scotland's devastating warning doesn't rouse failing SNP ministers, nothing will. Scotland's NHS is on life support thanks to 18 years of chronic mismanagement by the Nationalists. 'The fact that so many Scots are having to raid their life savings to go private for treatment isn't just unfair, it's immoral and at odds with the founding principles of our health service. The ability to access care should not be determined by the size of your bank balance.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This damning research shows the SNP has taken a wrecking ball to the founding principles of our NHS and left too many Scots without free and available healthcare in their hour of need. 'John Swinney must heed these stark warnings from those on the frontline of his NHS crisis. It is a scandal that so many Scots are spending their life savings or being plunged into debt to pay to get the care desperately they need. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The truth is if the SNP had any answers we would have seen them by now – our NHS needs a change in direction and a change in government.' SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray said: 'We will always protect the founding principles of the NHS – publicly owned and free at the point of need. 'That's why we are investing a record £21.7 billion in health and social care this year, including £106 million to deliver over 150,000 additional appointments and procedures. 'But we recognise some of the concerns raised by the BMA, and we are determined to deliver the reform our NHS needs to ensure it provides quality care for everyone who needs it now and into the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
The Herald Scotland
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
NHS ‘dying before our eyes' as third of Scots go private
Out of all those who responded, 17% had accessed private medical care in the past two years and 14% said a member of their household had. The majority (64%) of those who reported accessing private care for themselves or a member of their household said it was because the NHS waiting list was too long. In a speech to the BMA's 2025 Annual Representative Meeting in Liverpool today, Dr Iain Kennedy will say it is 'abundantly clear' that there is now a divide in Scotland between those who can afford private healthcare and those 'languishing' on NHS waiting lists. Read more: Doctor leaders warn GP practices 'on the brink' as demand intensifies Scottish Government urged to improve NHS governance to deliver reforms 'One in nine' Scots on NHS waiting list as delays hit record He will warn that the situation is likely to only get worse, as 43% of respondents to the survey said they are now more likely to go private. Dr Kennedy will point to a warning he issued last Christmas which said the health service would struggle to see out another year with its founding principles - including free at the point of delivery- remaining intact. (Image: BMA) He is expected to say: 'Our NHS should be free at the point of need. But, through today's research, I can reveal that almost a third of Scots say either they or someone in their household have had to use private healthcare within the last two years. Our survey showed that the majority are forced to do so, as waiting lists are simply too long. They just can't get the timely care they need. 'And it will only get worse, because 43% of those surveyed feel they are now more likely to go private. It is abundantly clear that Scotland has been divided into those who can afford private healthcare and those languishing on ever longer NHS waiting lists. 'Now, I don't believe anyone made an active choice to pursue this path towards a private health service. Rather, it is a failure get to grips with an evolving population and its health needs. But, be in no doubt, the NHS is dying before our very eyes.' In the latest survey, of those who accessed private care, 45% used personal savings and 20% said they had to cut back on leisure activities. Another 9% had to cut back on essential items such as energy and groceries, while 9% had to borrow money to fund private treatment. A total of 46% who did not use private care in the past two years said it was because they could not afford to and 43% said their likelihood of using private healthcare had significantly or somewhat increased in the past few years. Out of all those who responded, 63% reported that their confidence in being able to access a timely hospital appointment through the NHS had significantly or somewhat decreased in the past few years, while 60% said the same for GP appointments. During the BMA Annual Representative Meeting, Dr Kennedy will outline four key principles for NHS reform which include shifting the balance of care into the community, a workforce plan setting out how to recruit and retain doctors and other staff. Dr Kennedy will also take aim at Scottish Minister's for 'largely ignoring' pleas made by the trade union. He is expected to say: 'The chance to save our NHS remains. If we want to provide timely care to all, which is free at the point of need, then immediate action is required. 'We did ask the Scottish Government for a national conversation but were largely ignored. So, instead, NHS reform must now happen.' He will add: 'The impact of the Scottish Government repeatedly ignoring the warnings made by the BMA and many others is clear. Patients are suffering, unable to access the care they need when they need it, or having to use their own hard-earned money to go private. 'Everyone knows it is unacceptable. That's why BMA Scotland will continue to shine a light on the dire state and worsening position of the Scottish NHS. 'And it's why we will go on fighting for our members, for our patients, and for a better future for Scotland's health service.' Responding to the BMA warnings and findings, the Scottish Conservatives said Scots having to "raid their life savings" for private health care is "immoral" as they blamed the SNP for "chronic mismanagement" of the NHS. Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: 'If BMA Scotland's devastating warning doesn't rouse failing SNP ministers, nothing will. 'Scotland's NHS is on life support thanks to 18 years of chronic mismanagement by the Nationalists. 'The fact that so many Scots are having to raid their life savings to go private for treatment isn't just unfair, it's immoral and at odds with the founding principles of our health service. 'The ability to access care should not be determined by the size of your bank balance. 'Neil Gray needs to get his head out of the sand and act now to save our NHS and prevent even more Scots being pushed into medical debt. 'The Scottish Conservatives have a plan to end this two-tier system by cutting bureaucracy and surging resources to the frontline.' Scottish Labour named the recent findings that around a third of Scots are turning to private care a "scandal" and hit out at the SNP for taking a "wrecking ball" to the founding principles of the NHS. Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said 'This damning research shows the SNP has taken a wrecking ball to the founding principles of our NHS and left too many Scots without free and available healthcare in their hour of need. 'John Swinney must heed these stark warnings from those on the frontline of his NHS crisis. 'It is a scandal that so many Scots are spending their life savings or being plunged into debt to pay to get the care desperately they need. 'The truth is if the SNP had any answers we would have seen them by now – our NHS needs a change in direction and a change in government.' The Scottish Government has invested £21.7 billion in health and social care this year, including £106 million to deliver over 150,000 additional appointments and procedures. Health Secretary Neil Gray said: 'We will always protect the founding principles of the NHS – publicly owned and free at the point of need. 'But we recognise some of the concerns raised by the BMA, and we are determined to deliver the reform our NHS needs to ensure it provides quality care for everyone who needs it now and into the future. 'The First Minister set out his plan to renew our health service by investing in prevention while harnessing technology to support earlier diagnosis and tailor medical treatment to individual patients.'
