A row has broken out after Ruth Davidson accused the SNP of leading the NHS to “the brink of meltdown”.
The Tory leader in Scotland claimed the administration had “misjudged how many staff are needed by a margin of £248 million” – and cited warnings from doctors that the health service could reach breaking point this winter.
However, the SNP claimed the warning Ms Davidson cited came from a report that surveyed just three Scottish medical units – and 94 in England.
Recruitment difficulties have led to a sharp rise in the use of locum doctors and nurses in places like NHS Grampian, which has seen its bill for temporary staff almost double to more than £18million in just 12 months.
Ms Davidson said: “We have been told that areas of the NHS are on the brink of meltdown, and stretched staffing levels are part of the problem.
“Now we have learned that the NHS spent a quarter of a billion pounds on locum doctors and nurses last year.
“That is a damning indictment of the SNP’s workforce planning – it has misjudged how many staff are needed by a margin of £248 million.
“And as we can see from this research, the problem is getting worse.”
But the SNP’s Clare Haughey accused Ms Davidson of “misrepresenting the performance of Scotland’s NHS”.
She added: “Ruth Davidson must apologise to Scotland’s NHS and correct her comments at FMQs.
“Her attempt to misrepresent the performance of Scotland’s NHS only draws attention to the failures of the NHS in England – with Tory ministers engaged in a war of attrition with junior doctors and A&E performance lagging behind Scotland.
“Under the SNP, NHS staff numbers have risen significantly, with more consultants, nurses and midwives delivering care for the people of Scotland, while patient satisfaction rises.
“If Ruth Davidson wants to act as a champion for the health service, she should learn where Scotland’s NHS ends and England’s begins.”
