Our joined up approach to health
Ahead of tonight's 38 Degrees hustings in Edinburgh on the future of the NHS, Alison Johnstone, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP candidate for Lothian, highlighted the Scottish Greens' joined up approach to health.
The Scottish Greens' manifesto calls for a Living Wage Plus of £9 an hour for social care staff, a greater focus on preventative spending, more resources for GPs, and cancellation of PFI contracts.
Alison Johnstone said:
"Scottish Greens have made care a key priority in this election, as we see the need for a joined up approach in our health service. By improving pay and conditions for social care staff and increasing the carer’s allowance we can provide better care settings at home to prevent delayed discharges in our hospitals. And by prioritising resources and recruitment for GPs we can help prevent the need for more acute services.
"Successive Labour and SNP-led governments have not been bold enough on preventative spending, whereas it is a consistent Scottish Greens priority. We have led the way on making energy efficient housing a national infrastructure priority, as cold homes have a huge impact on health, and we have kept the pressure on ministers to increase spending on cycling and walking to make healthier lifestyles easier for all.
"The challenges our NHS continues to face, around inequality and an ageing population, can be tackled with Green policies. With our proposal to reform income tax so everyone earning less than £ 26,500 keeps more of their pay, we can raise over £300m in additional revenue to invest in a healthier Scotland."
38 Degrees hustings details:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/events/election-hustings-20th-april