Scottish Government cuts money from mental health, GPs and NHS training

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today hit out at a “fiscal firestorm” of SNP cuts.

On top of the cuts announced in a statement to Parliament today, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has confirmed a series of further cuts in a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance committee including:

• A £19m cut to mental health.
• £11m removed from improvements for GP practices.
• £8m from scaling back training schemes for NHS staff.

Responding to the cuts, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Rather than stand up and be honest that she was taking an axe to NHS services, the Finance Secretary has chosen to sneak these cuts out in a letter.

"The Finance Secretary should crawl over broken glass to protect essential NHS services, people are already waiting far too long for mental health care and to see their GP.

“This is a fiscal firestorm of the SNP Government’s own creation.

“People feel like they are working harder but falling further behind. They just don’t trust the SNP Government with their child’s education, with their granny’s care, or with their money anymore.

“One-off income from selling off Scotland’s prize seabed on the cheap will soon be gone. With that in mind I fear that the Finance Secretary will return with further cuts to our NHS next year.”