Holyrood should be pre-empting disaster, instead of stumbling behind it, doing a poor job of attempting to mop up the mess, write the P&J’s editorial team.
Given the increasingly desperate situation within Scotland’s hospitals, there can be few left who genuinely expect Humza Yousaf to make an announcement of any substance in the coming days.
Even his boss appears to have lost faith. Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to lead a briefing on the NHS crisis on January 9 suggests a distinct lack of confidence in the health secretary.
Perhaps it was sensible for the first minister to focus on preparing Scots for the worst: admitting she is pessimistic over averting nursing strikes, and encouraging the return of face masks in public places.
Still, Sturgeon’s statement concluded without any indication that hers is a government with a plan amounting to more than minor tinkering.
The Covid pandemic has sped up the decline of the NHS considerably, but it was already well under way prior to 2020. Our health service has limped through far too many terrible winters, during which many lives were lost and healthcare workers were pushed beyond reasonable limits.
Weak leadership has allowed the NHS to fall apart
Politicians have dithered over the future of the NHS for decades, even though it has long been abundantly clear that major reform is needed.
One thing is certain: the NHS has not unexpectedly combusted all by itself over the last few month
The Scottish Government would not currently be scrabbling for excuses and ideas if short, mid and long-term policies designed to deal with increasing patient numbers and insufficient staffing had been proposed, agreed on and implemented when the health service first showed signs of struggling.
In an ideal world, our leaders would already be working to put safety measures in place for next winter – pre-empting disaster, instead of stumbling behind it, doing a poor job of attempting to mop up the mess. Evidently, we are not living in an ideal world.
One thing is certain: the NHS has not unexpectedly combusted all by itself over the last few months. The UK, and Scotland within it, has allowed its health service to gradually fall apart over a long period, as a result of weak leadership and a reluctance to make difficult decisions.
The Voice of the North is The Press & Journal’s editorial stance on what we think is the most important story of the day
Conversation