The Scottish Conservatives have blasted Neil Gray for waiting till the “eleventh hour” to set out his plan to get our health service through the winter.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane said that our NHS is already in permanent crisis mode, with thousands of patients waiting far too long for treatment, staff at breaking point and cases of flu already hitting hard.
He added that Neil Gray should have set out this plan months ago, instead of waiting until the middle of November to deliver it.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: “This eleventh-hour attempt to patch together a winter plan is doomed to fail.
“Someone should buy Neil Gray a calendar. He needs to know that a winter plan should come well in advance of winter starting.
“After nearly two decades of SNP mismanagement our NHS is experiencing winter-level pressure all year round – even at the height of summer.
“Week after week, thousands of patients are waiting hours for crucial treatment, staff are at breaking point and a flu crisis is already putting even more pressure on our health service.
“This week, we saw the harrowing case of a pensioner waiting over 12 hours in A&E and left to lie on a camping bed. This statement will be too little too late.
“Neil Gray’s belated announcement must give our frontline staff the support they need to help their patients, otherwise frontline care will collapse in the coming months.”