New investment in NHS diagnostics and care

£50M TO SUPPORT TREATMENT ACROSS SCOTLAND

The NHS in Edinburgh and the Lothians is set to benefit from a share of a £50 million Scotland-wide investment to help deliver swift treatment and diagnostics.

Scotland already invests more per head of population than anywhere else in the UK. The Scottish Government claims that England and Wales continue to lag behind Scotland,
including on A&E waiting times where they say Scotland has had the lowest waiting times for over 3 years.

This extra funding is part of a package of measures to help
reduce waiting times – and two independent diagnostic leads will be appointed to improve co-ordination across the country on specialist tests.

Commenting, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said: “The staff of Scotland’s NHS do a fantastic job day in day out. This funding boost will support a package of measures to help further improve performance across the Capital, including new independent experts being appointed to speed up diagnostic tests.

“The Scottish Government has already committed to invest an extra £2 billion above inflation by the end of this parliament – the highest funding offer of any party at the last election – and already invest more in our NHS per head of population than anywhere else in the UK, supporting frontline health services across Edinburgh. That’s one of the reasons why Scotland’s A&E’s continue to have the best performance of anywhere in the UK for the last 3 years.

“It is this type of continued action and determination
that will help shape the treatment and care we need for the future”