Election hopefuls talk NHS

We all rely on the NHS being there when we need it. But with the prospect of Brexit looming, the importance of protecting our NHS has never been starker.

Our manifesto will include an NHS Protection Bill with the purpose of preventing any future government using the NHS as a bargaining chip in any future, post-Brexit trade deal.

Donald Trump has said: “When you’re dealing with trade everything is on the table, so the NHS or anything else, or a lot more than that.”

The NHS in Scotland is run in Scotland, for Scotland. Under the SNP it will always be in public hands. Our NHS is not for sale at any price.

A vote for the SNP is a vote to never have to worry about our NHS being sold off by a

Westminster government. Our NHS is there to care for and protect us – now it’s our turn to stand up and protect the NHS.

The staff who work in our NHS deserve our unreserved praise for their amazing hard work and care, including those working in our NHS from EU and other countries. They are welcome and valued here. They have produced fantastic results. We have historically low waiting times, large reductions in hospital infection rates and some of the safest healthcare anywhere in the world.

But we must always aim to do more and to working to make the NHS the best it can be. That’s why in Scotland NHS staffing levels are up more than 10% .

We continue to invest to support enhanced community care, and mental health services. Our core A&E services have been the best performing in the UK for over four years.

We all benefit from the delivery of free prescriptions, eye tests and baby boxes for all new babies, because we know that good quality healthcare is the cornerstone to a decent society.