Sickly state of affairs

THE decade-long tenure of the SNP at Holyrood has been a catalogue of failure and missed opportunities. But even by these low standards, yesterday’s waiting time figures represent a desperate nadir for the Nationalists.

Performance has dipped by around 10 per cent in the past year alone for inpatient treatment, outpatient appointments and diagnostic tests.

Perhaps most shockingly, almost one in five patients is failing to get hospital treatment within 12 weeks – a blatant breach of the SNP’s legal guarantee.

It is no surprise that Labour is calling for Health Secretary Shona Robison to go in a forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle. Bereft of any innovative vision for the future of the NHS – a wholly devolved public service under Scottish Government control – Miss Robison is also guilty of rank incompetence, with patients paying the price.

An ‘expert group’ – the knee-jerk panacea of all failing administrations – will now be launched to tackle the crisis.

This follows funding of £50million to address waiting times announced earlier this year.

But this was another example of the intellectual paralysis that hampers meaningful reform of the NHS: more cash is constantly thrown at an institution that requires major structural change.

After ten years of decline under the SNP, a wider review of Scotland’s NHS is essential.