It would cost a staggering £1,549,777,788 to do all required repairs across the country’s hospitals and clinics.
John Swinney and Health Secretary Neil Gray(Image: Robert Perry/Getty Images)
The SNP has been accused of “letting Scotland’s NHS crumble” as new figures show health boards face a maintenance backlog of more than £1.5 billion.
Figures obtained by Scottish Labour via Freedom of Information requests suggest it would cost a staggering £1,549,777,788 to do all required repairs across the country’s hospitals and clinics.
This includes a range of work required to bring buildings, systems and other assets up to scratch.
Included in the £1.5 billion Scotland-wide backlog there is a staggering £673 million backlog in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, a £123 million backlog in NHS Lothian and a £124 million backlog in NHS Tayside.
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour health spokeswoman, said the repair bill was a “symbol” of the SNP’s neglect of our NHS.
In December last year the cost of the NHS maintenance backlog stood at £1.3bn, up from £1.1bn at the end of 2022.
In February 2024, the SNP Government put on hold plans to build new hospitals, surgeries and a network of treatment centres. At least a dozen NHS projects were delayed or paused for up to two years due to budget pressures.
The pause was ended in the last Budget but many NHS buildings are still waiting on urgent investment.
Baillie said: “The SNP has let our NHS crumble and patients and staff are paying the price. The sorry state of NHS buildings is a symbol of the SNP’s neglect of our entire NHS.
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“The SNP has let our most treasured institution decline and the consequences are clear – sky high waiting lists, chaos in A&E, an 8am rush for a GP and rising reliance on private healthcare.
“The truth is if the SNP knew how to fix our NHS it would have done it by now.
“This year Scotland faces a direct choice – an NHS on life support with the SNP or an NHS fit for the future with Scottish Labour.”
The Record previously revealed how hundreds of NHS buildings are over 70 years old.
One clinic in Johnstone is in a property that is 165 years old – over twice the age of the health service.
According to figures released under freedom of information, there are 597 NHS buildings over 70 years old across the country.
One hundred and twenty one of these buildings are based in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, where there are also 210 buildings up to 50 years old.
It comes after the First Minister announced plans for a network of walk-in GP services to deliver one million more appointments across the country.
Swinney said they would operate seven days a week, from noon to 20:00, to tackle “the 08:00 rush for appointments” putting pressure on surgeries.
The announcement came during his keynote speech at the SNP conference in Aberdeen. But details of when and where the clinics will open has not yet been confirmed.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are providing £139 million additional investment this year in NHS infrastructure to increase core capital funding for Boards and support priority improvements and replacements in Scotland s NHS estate.
“Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget, but despite this we have delivered various new healthcare facilities across the country.
“We are already working with all Health Boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan which will meet the needs of the NHS across the whole of Scotland, supporting continued safe operation of existing facilities and informing longer term investment priorities.”
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