It’s time for SNP to focus on the day job
Public services are a vital component of Scotland’s society.
They help bring us into the world, educate us and take care of us when we fall ill. The SNP are failing in their duty to protect Scotland’s vital public services.
In the 2016 SNP manifesto, the Scottish Government committed to reforming primary care and increasing the numbers of GPs and nurses working in our communities. However, they are failing in this pledge.
The number of GP practices has fallen by eight per cent in Lanarkshire since 2007 under an SNP Government.
The number of practices has fallen in Lanarkshire from 115 in 2007 to 106 in 2017. These statistics highlight the insufficient provision of primary care provision for my constituents – despite increasing demand throughout Lanarkshire.
Under the SNP Government, general practice is on the sick list. Practice are continually struggling to fill vacancies and cope with the increasing demand which comes from an ageing population.
These alarming statistics underline the importance of the Scottish Conservatives’ Save Our Surgeries campaign, which aims to reinstate the role of GPs as a vital cog in our health system.
The SNP must spend more of the NHS budget on the GP front line, to meet the target of 11 per cent spent on general practice. Currently, Scotland spends less of its health spending on general practice than elsewhere in the UK.
The SNP has underfunded Scottish GPs by almost £660 million over the last four years compared to GP investment in NHS England.
Consequently, we are seeing a crisis in surgeries around Scotland, with fears the country could be short of as many as 900 GPs in the next few years.
The Scottish Conservatives want more of the NHS budget to go straight to the family doctor.
That way GPs can do more at the frontline and prevent more patients from having to go to hospital. If general practice is not fit for purpose, the whole NHS suffers.
The SNP are also failing to protect the Scottish public – breaking their pledge to maintain 1000 extra bobbies on the beat.
The number of divisional officers within Police Scotland has dropped over the past year, with 144 fewer divisional officers across Scotland. The number of divisional police officers has fallen by two per cent in Lanarkshire.
Visibility is a key element of tackling crime and provides welcome reassurance to the public.
Local police presence is essential to prevent and detect criminal behaviour. Having fewer bobbies on the street makes it harder for police to maintain that vital local presence and to protect the public.
Under the SNP, we are seeing an increasingly soft approach to justice. The SNP must give Police Scotland the resources it needs to keep us safe.
We all just want to the see the SNP focus on the day job of delivering Scotland’s vital public services.
Under the SNP, we are seeing an increasingly soft approach to justice...