Losing our patience

IT IS hard to imagine a more reckless statement by a government minister.

Humza Yousaf’s warning that people should think twice before dialling 999 for an ambulance is reprehensible.

The ambulance service is indeed under intense pressure, but the NHS has been devolved for more than 20 years.

As Health Secretary, Mr Yousaf is responsible for ensuring that it functions effectively – and he is clearly failing in that important task.

We all understand the strain hospitals and the emergency services are facing – and of course it is vital that their precious resources aren’t wasted.

During lockdown, most of us heeded the Government’s plea to protect the NHS by putting off a call to the family doctor.

Now that the harshest restrictions are over – with Covid cases continuing to soar – many are still waiting for diagnosis or treatment.

Mr Yousaf denies the NHS is in crisis, despite admitting that the ambulance service is perilously overloaded.

And his recent blueprint for reform makes clear that virtual primary healthcare is here to stay – with patients kept at arm’s length.

It is a risky move – consultations by phone or video call simply aren’t as effective as inperson consultations.

The SNP’s refusal to set a target date for the full restoration of face-to-face appointments is another example of its inability, or unwillingness, to grasp the scale of the calamity unfolding on its watch.

Until it does, patients will have to settle for a standard of healthcare that falls far short of the many grand promises the SNP has made about the future of the NHS.