NHS crisis ‘regardless of referendum result’

SCOTLAND’S NHS service is ‘not sustainable’ whatever the result of September’s referendum, a doctors’ spokesman warned yesterday.

Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the BMA in Scotland, warned that the NHS was nearing crisis and said politicians would have to make some tough decisions if the service is to survive.

Addressing the BMA’s annual representatives meeting in Harrogate, Dr Keighley said: ‘North of the Border we have been spared the spectacle of a huge organisation being thrown in the air with only speculation as a guide to where the pieces might land.

‘We have avoided wholesale reorganisation that has taken place in England – and for that we must be thankful.

‘However, in Scotland, as elsewhere, what we have not avoided is a financial crisis and resource constraint that sits totally at odds with rising patient demand, an ageing population, advancing technology and burgeoning costs of pharmaceutical care.

‘What we have in common with the rest of the UK is a crisis of health provision where the current philosophy seems to be to squeeze more and more from the same resources and to apply ever-increasing pressure on the workforce.

‘Scottish voters are facing a crucial vote on independence in September but, in truth, a far greater decision is facing them – how much tax do they want to pay for a health service, and depending on that decision, how comprehensive do they wish it to be?’