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Scottish Government’s funding system ‘failing’ NHS Grampian

Health secretary Shona Robison
Health secretary Shona Robison

Critics have claimed the Scottish Government’s health service funding system is “failing” the north-east.

Fresh figures appear to show a correlation between poor performance in the region’s hospitals and low funding from Holyrood.

The statistics form part of a dossier produced by the Scottish Conservatives, which show NHS Grampian is falling behind in meeting the government’s performance targets.

The board only met 37.5% of the national targets to be met by every health board for the first half of 2017-18.

At the same time, it was the lowest funded area at £1,526 per head – £293 less than Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Health boards are expected to meet performance targets in a variety of areas including cancer waiting times, accident and emergency times and post dementia diagnosis support.

Professor Jamie Weir, of advocacy group Patient Action Coordination Team (Pact), said the board had been short-changed for years leaving it trailing behind other areas in terms of patient experience

He said: “The cumulative deficit that has occurred over the last 30 years when compared to our next door health boards is now over £2 billion – an enormous disparity that has and continues to cause major disruption to the services available to Grampian  patients.

“Several reasons for Grampian’s funding deficiency have been put forward by the politicians including claims the population of Grampian is younger than elsewhere – a statistic that has no evidence base – and that we are a ‘rich’ area.

“From the funding figures given for this year, Grampian Health Board receives £200 per person less than patients in Tayside.

“The population of Grampian is approximately 500,000. If we had Tayside’s level of funding, we would receive another £100 million.”

Similar research showed the board was the lowest-funded board per head in 2016-17 and met just 12.5% of its targets during that period.

North-east MSP Tom Mason said this latest research further undermined Health Secretary Shona Robison’s claims that other factors contributed to the region’s poor performance.

He said: “It may seem obvious that if you spend more money on each patient, the quality of care will improve, but the Health Secretary has repeatedly refused to accept the argument.

“Based on this analysis, the system for funding the health service in Scotland is failing NHS Grampian.”

The board stressed it was “not simply a matter of money” but said it was “absolutely committed” to meeting the national targets and providing the best service it can in the face of recruitment challenges and the wider impact of the oil and gas downturn.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government said it had delivered “record high funding” across the country.

A spokesman said: “NHS Grampian will receive a resource budget increase of 2.1% in 2018-19, taking the annual budget to £921 million, the highest percentage increase of any board.

“Since 2015-16, NHS Grampian has also received additional new resource allocation funding of £52 million.

“We recognise the increasing demand and expectations placed on frontline services and NHS Grampian will also receive a share of £175 million to support reform in 2018-19.”