Are the parties being realistic about challenges facing services in Scotland?published at 16:45 BST
16:45 BST
BBC Scotland: Phil Sim
Political leaders are debating NHS funding today – but are any of
them being realistic about the challenges facing Scottish services?
In this year’s Scottish budget, health and social care was handed
a small increase in funding – about 0.7% in real terms compared to the previous
year, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission, external.
But at the same time, ministers have agreed pay deals with a
number of groups – 3.7% this year for staff including nurses, paramedics and
midwives, and a deal equivalent to 9.4% for resident doctors.
This has avoided strikes by healthcare staff of the sort seen in
England – but given public sector pay accounts for just over 50% of the
Scottish budget, it bears a financial burden.
David Phillips of the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested on
his organisation’s podcast that whoever wins the election will have been dealta “really poor hand”, external and may find themselves having to make cuts elsewhere to
“top up” the NHS budget in light of the pay deals.
And Mairi Spowage of the Fraser of Allander Institute said the
next government will face a “reckoning” about its finances, with many problems
having been “stored up” ahead of the budget which needs to be drawn up at the
end of this year.
She said: “We have to accept in Scotland that we can’t afford to
deliver all the services we’re delivering right now. It’s not about keeping it
the same – we need to make a change either in how we’re delivering services, or
the extent of the services delivered.”