A leading British Medical Association doctor has claimed Scotland’s NHS remains under-funded, despite some success in patient care.
Aberdeen paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Simon Baker, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish Consultants Committee, said problems identified a decade ago were now becoming crisis points.
Mr Baker argued the ageing population was one of the main issues and was getting worse, despite investment in treatment centres for eyes, hips and knees.
He said: “The issue of our ageing population is really starting to bite, with a group of patients who have increasingly complex care needs towards the end of their lives.
“A decade ago, patients flowed pretty well through the system, but nursing homes are now backed up and that’s why we’re seeing patients stuck in hospital with nowhere to go.
“More care in the community is a good thing, but it’s not going to be cheaper because it costs a lot of money to do it well and put staff in place.”
Mr Baker insisted public health campaigns to improve health in younger generations were very positive in targeting smoking, alcohol, obesity and diabetes.
But he lamented the fact a lack of investment in staff was leading to huge numbers of vacant posts due to static salaries and increasing workloads.
He said:
He said: “The number of consultant vacancies has gone up six-fold, more than half of these vacancies are left unfilled for more than six months, and for one in three there is no applicant – that is a disaster.
“It’s not just doctors, we see the same problems with nurses and GPs and there is a core problem there.”
Mr Baker concluded the fundamental problem came down to under-investment and voters must decide if they want to pay more to support the NHS or get less.
He said: “If we, as a society, are not willing to pay more for the NHS, we’re going to have to accept we cannot do everything – that’s simple arithmetic.”
