Scottish Labour must disown ‘appalling’ Streeting NHS league table plan
Scottish Labour have been urged to disown Wes Streeting’s plan to pitch NHS hospitals against one another in league tables, which Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay has said would be dangerous for NHS recruitment and for patients.
Ms Mackay said:
“Trying to pit NHS hospitals against each other like some kind of game is appalling. These are vital healthcare services, not the Premier League.
“We all know our NHS is struggling; from dwindling staff numbers due to a disastrous Brexit to increased waiting times after COVID, it's clear that something needs to change, but turning our NHS into a competition is obviously not the answer.
“There is a real danger that by creating league tables like this we will further entrench health inequalities and make it harder for our NHS to recruit and retain staff.
“Scottish Labour must come clean and tell us if they support this dangerous policy, do they really want to turn Scotland’s health service into a game?
“The Scottish Greens have been clear that we need to radically rethink our health service; we need to welcome medical professionals from the EU back to Scotland and target funding where it is needed most, such as to mental health and A&E departments.”
Ms Mackay added:
“This is the same Health Secretary who just last month suggested that unemployed people who are obese should be given mandatory weight-loss jabs to get them back to work. He is completely out of touch with the needs of patients and NHS workers.”