The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Robison stands firm following opposition calls for her to quit
Health secretary under fire after NHS targets missed again
Shona Robison insisted she has the backing of Nicola Sturgeon as the First Minister faced calls to sack her under-fire health secretary.
Scottish Labour accused Ms Robison of being “out of her depth and out of ideas” as they demanded her head after NHS targets were missed again.
In an exclusive interview with The Courier, the Dundee East MSP denied she was vulnerable in a cabinet reshuffle, which is widely tipped to happen when Holyrood returns next week.
Official figures published yesterday showed patients are still waiting too long for treatment, breaching several of the Scottish Government’s own targets.
Ms Robison said the SNP leader “absolutely” has confidence in her abilities as health secretary, adding she will “absolutely not” step down of her own accord.
Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar said the health service is gripped by a “workforce crisis” of the SNP’s making that is forcing patients into lengthy waits.
He added: “It is time for Shona Robison to go.”
Ms Robison accused Mr Sarwar of “indulging in personal attacks” because Labour is “bereft of any policy ideas”.
The Scottish Government figures show that in June the 18-week referral to treatment target was met for 84.8% of patients, down from 87% in the same month last year.
The standard demands that 90% are seen within that period.
NHS Fife hit a record low since the target was introduced in 2011, with just 84.4% seen in time.
The Tayside board, which covers Ms Robison’s constituency, has shown improvement on the measure in recent months, but has not achieved the target since December 2014.
The target was also missed in the 12-week treatment time guarantee, while waits soared for key diagnostic tests.
Ms Robison responded to the figures by launching an expert group to find ways of cutting waiting times.
She added an extra £50 million is being given to health boards to improve waiting time performance.
“It is time for Shona Robison to go. ANAS SARWAR, LABOUR HEALTH SPOKESMAN