Commenting on a new report from Audit Scotland which warns that there is already a £1bn maintenance backlog and that health and social care funding could face a £1.8bn shortfall by 2023/24, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“None of these problems are new. The SNP have been in charge of safeguarding our NHS for more than a decade and have shown themselves to be incapable of dealing with the day-to-day, let-alone the long-term reforms.

“More children are waiting over a year for mental health treatment, health boards can’t find the staff they need and flagship projects have gone catastrophically wrong.

“To build a brighter future for our NHS, we need a Health Secretary who will ensure that staff have the resources they need to deliver for patients. That must start with publishing the workforce plan they were promised last year.”