| Topic: | Leaked Scottish Government report 'says £450m in NHS cuts needed' | |
| Posted by: | Leslie Wilson | |
| Date/Time: | 16/09/14 12:29:00 |
| The NHS in Scotland is facing a £450m funding shortfall, according to a leaked document. NHS finance bosses warn that accident and emergency units and some services could face "centralisation" in order to plug the financial gap. "Radical and urgent decisions need to be made," the document is thought to warn, as well as cautioning ministers that the "status quo and preservation of existing models of care are no longer an option". The Scottish Government told the BBC the document was "part of the regular discussions among NHS leaders to plan for NHS Scotland's future". The paper, which was passed to The Herald and the BBC, comes amid a referendum campaign in which Yes Scotland and the Scottish Government have claimed that independence is necessary to protect the devolved NHS in Scotland. According to The Herald, the document was prepared by John Matheson, the Scottish Government's director of health finance, along with the finance directors of the country's health boards. The newspaper reported on Tuesday morning that the dossier outlines savings of between £400m and £450m which must be made by April 2017. The Herald said the document had been passed to journalists amid "increasing frustration" amongst some NHS staff at "suggestions from Yes campaigners that Scotland needs independence to protect NHS funding". http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/news/292276-leaked-document-says-nhs-in-scotland-faces-450m-funding-blackhole/ |