The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Projected deficit to drop, health secretary claims
Jeane Freeman says report is ‘fair’ but black hole can be reduced with reform
The health secretary has said Scotland’s NHS will not face a £1.8 billion black hole, despite projections in a recent report.
Speaking to Good Morning Scotland yesterday, Jeane Freeman welcomed the “fair” report from Audit Scotland but predicted that her department would lower the projected deficit.
The Auditor General released the report yesterday, forecasting a £1.8bn shortfall by 2023-24 and describing the NHS in Scotland as “financially unsustainable”.
Asked if the Scottish Government will be able to mitigate the shortfall in the next four years, Ms Freeman said: “I believe I can say that, on the basis of past history.
“For example, what the Auditor General is talking about is the level of financial challenge – that is never matched by what you end up with at the end of a financial year in terms of the deficit.
“In the past year, the financial challenge was around £135 or £140 million, the final deficit at the end of that year was £65m.
“I’m not saying that to deflect from the fact that there is a financial challenge, but I think we will get to a point where we reduce that.
“But the real point is you can’t keep on doing that unless you reform – you have to do both.”
Ms Freeman said the service must be made more efficient to stem the financial challenges.
She said the pace of reform was not quick enough, agreeing with comments from BMA Scotland boss Dr Lewis Morrison, who said the health service was “a big ship to turn around”.
She also agreed with the Auditor General’s comments that “we can’t just buy our way out of this”.
Ms Freeman said: “One of the things I wanted to achieve is an increase in the pace of integration of health and social care, that’s the key reform.
“We have to do that with our partners in local authorities. Integrating health and social care is a joint venture between the Scottish Government, Cosla, between health boards and local authorities.”
Audit Scotland said the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s 2020 vision for the health service “will not be achieved by 2020”.
Auditor General for Scotland Caroline Gardner said: “The NHS in Scotland is running too hot, with intense pressure on staff and a service model that will remain financially unsustainable without a much greater focus on health and social care integration.”