One of Scotland’s leading surgeons has claimed the NHS is “on its knees” and facing a cash crisis.
Aberdeen-based Simon Barker, the new chairman of the Scottish Consultants Committee of the British Medical Association, said staff were being forced to “magic things out of thin air” amid a lack of funds.
In an interview to mark his new role, he said: “We are on our knees now. We will be flat on our face soon. That is honestly the truth.”
Mr Barker also claimed applications for roles had dropped because staff were under-valued in the NHS.
Both NHS Grampian and NHS Highland have had well-documented difficulties in recruiting specialists. They are now advertising roles across the world in an attempt to fill vacancies.
He said: “What we have not been good at in the NHS in Scotland is making our staff feel valued and wanted and therefore needing to stay.
“We are more often seen as a burden rather than an asset.”
A decade ago, eight to 10 applications per position were normal, he said, “where as now if we get one or two we think we are doing well.”
He added: “I think on the broadest level the question is what do we as a society want to invest in healthcare – me and you as taxpayers – what do we think it is worth?
“At the moment we put in considerably less of our GDP than other countries of a similar size and wealth.”
