Concerns have been raised after it emerged health boards spend millions of pounds a year on vehicles including luxury cars for staff.
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie was shocked to learn that NHS Grampian’s annual vehicle leasing bill for 474 cars – which include an Alfa Romeo, an Audi A3 and a Land Rover Freelander – was £1.1million.
Figures released by the party showed that NHS Highland spends £742,000 a year on 394 vehicles, including Audis, BMWs and Mercedes.
NHS Tayside spends £465,800 a year on 222 cars, which include an Audi TT, BMW 1 series and Mitsubishi Outlander 2. NHS Orkney spends £6,770 a year leasing three cars and NHS Shetland leases 13 vehicles. The health board could not provide a total cost.
NHS Western Isles did not respond to Labour’s request for details under freedom of information legislation.
The figures showed that Scotland’s health boards spend £10.8million a year leasing 7,318 vehicles. Ms Baillie said: “These figures are astonishing.
“Of course, staff like district nurses need to be provided with a car so that they can do their job and visit patients.
“But it simply doesn't make sense to spend nearly £11million subsidising senior managers to drive BMWs and Mercedes when health boards are being forced by budget cuts to reduce the number of nurses. If Labour forms the next government in Scotland we will review this scheme to ensure NHS resources are spent on improving patient care and not on perks for executives.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said it was up to NHS boards to manage their own budgets and to ensure frontline services were delivered as “efficiently and cost-effectively as possible”.
“Patient care is our priority and health boards are expected to get the very best value for money from every penny out of the taxpayers' purse,” she added.
NHS Grampian said the vehicle leasing scheme had been in place for more than 20 years and represented “good value for money”.
“Of the 474 lease agreements currently in place, 39 involve senior managers,” she added. “The rest are vehicles driven by clinical and nursing staff. Base vehicles are set for each level of staff and, if they opt for a vehicle above that base, they must meet the additional cost.
“NHS Grampian will only meet the business cost for running each vehicle.”
They said staff must travel a minimum of 4,000 business miles a year before they could qualify for a vehicle.