‘Stop using NHS as political football’

A “responsible, national, conversation” about the type of NHS we want, what it will and will not provide and an assessment of how much resources are needed to achieve this should take place as a matter of priority, according to retired NHS Fife chief executive John Wilson.

The 60-year-old, who worked in the NHS for 35 years before retiring in 2014, said this process needed to emphasise the personal responsibility everyone has for their own health and that of their children.

Reductions in smoking, encouraged by smoking bans in public places have contributed to a reduction in heart disease and strokes.

Action on alcohol consumption should have similar impacts on alcohol-related ill health while tackling obesity will also have a profound effect.

However, while Mr Wilson believes devolution has brought great benefits to the NHS in Scotland through accountability and its ability to target specific problem areas, he has called on politicians to stop using the health service as a “political football”.

He said there needs to be cross party understanding of the problems faced by the NHS in the 21st Century and recognition that whatever party is in power at whatever tier of government, the problems need to be faced up to and consensus reached on how to resolve them.

It’s also important, he said, that the NHS is not looked at in isolation because poverty, unemployment and poor housing all have an impact.

“I think it’s inevitable that the NHS is political because it is a public service and we use public money and we are directed by the Scottish Government,” he said. “But what I think is worrying is the fact that the NHS is used as a tool to beat the government up. That is demoralising for those that work in the service and it must be concerning for the patients thinking that the service isn’t being properly managed.”

Mr Wilson said there would be a “lot of opposition” if attempts were ever made to privatise the NHS. He said it was a “huge achievement” that the service still exists and retains its founding principles after 70 years.

However, he believes the biggest threat to its future is the “bottomless pit of resources you could put into it.”

In order to solve the crucial problem of delayed discharges there needs to be a clear understanding of the total need for all aspects of health and social care, clarity on the options and alternative models available, accurate assessment of the staffing needs to deliver them and a realistic budget to fund them.