The Scottish Conservatives are today calling for Audit Scotland to investigate the meeting of NHS bosses at which the creation of a two-tier health service was discussed.
Leaked minutes of the meeting in September reference NHS chief executive Caroline Lamb – a senior advisor to Health Secretary Humza Yousaf – and point out that the group had the green light to look at reforms “which were previously not viable”.
The group discussed issues such as charging wealthier patients for NHS treatment, sending patients home more quickly after treatment and pausing the funding of some new drugs.
While SNP ministers have been quick to reject any suggestion of moving away from the founding principles of the NHS – that it is free at the point of use for everyone – the Scottish Conservatives believe we need to know why such radical proposals were up for debate.
Audit Scotland warned last week that parts of the public sector, particularly the NHS and social care, are “unsustainable and that there needs to be reform there”.
Scottish Conservative chairman and shadow health minister Craig Hoy reckons an Audit Scotland probe is necessary to cast light on “the controversy surrounding this meeting”.
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP, said: “Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf may have been at pains to try to shoot these reports down but that should not be the end of the matter.
“We need Audit Scotland to investigate the controversy surrounding this meeting.
“The leaked minutes clearly suggest NHS leaders were given the green light to think the unthinkable – including patient charging. We must urgently find out why that was.
“Presumably this came from the top and senior ministers gave them the political cover to examine every eventuality to reform our NHS.
“We need to know if they are now speaking with forked tongues.
“This is a matter of huge public interest – and yet we have already seen the desperation of nationalists to close down the story, as the BBC were forced to defend even running it on Monday following a barrage of criticism.
“Of course, it’s a reflection of Humza Yousaf’s rank mismanagement of Scotland’s health service that NHS leaders were forced to consider such unpalatable options.
“Rather than contemplating such a Doomsday scenario, Nicola Sturgeon should sack her failing Health Secretary and go back to the drawing board.”
Notes
NHS leaders in Scotland have discussed having the wealthy pay for treatment. The discussion of a ‘two-tier’ health service was mentioned in draft minutes of a meeting of Scotland's NHS leaders in September, at which NHS Scotland chief executive Caroline Lamb is referenced. The group were then advised that they had been given the ‘green light to present what boards feel reform may look like’ and that ‘areas which were previously not viable options are now possibilities’. (BBC News, 22 November 2022, link).