Delivering on the NHS

The second in my series on what has the SNP government done for Scotland since being elected. A reasonable question when one party has led the Government for so long. There are many, many achievements and positives to answer that question. Today I'm focussing on how the SNP government has championed our Scottish National Health Service, despite all the challenges that it has faced in the past years, not least the Covid pandemic.

My vision is for the people of Angus North and Mearns to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. The SNP government has consistently committed to providing record Budget allocations for Health and Social Care, and we're investing £22.5 billion in the budget for 2026-27 providing real life boosts for the people of Scotland.

Ensuring the NHS remains free at the point of need is a key concern for people in Scotland. Since the SNP’s abolition of prescription charges in 2011, Scottish households have not had to pay for pharmacy prescribed medication. South of the border, prescription costs have risen to £9.90 per item. Scotland is also the only part of the UK to provide universal free eye tests - showing the SNP’s commitment to accessible and affordable healthcare for all.

This financial year, we have allocated over £16 billion for community focused care within frontline NHS boards. Prioritising person-centred care within the community improves health outcomes, reduces wait lists and hospital admissions. We've also pledged £2.2 billion for social care and integration - ensuring that Health and Social Care in Scotland is responsive to the needs of the people it serves.

This month, February 2026, the SNP opened Scotland’s first walk-in GP clinic in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. This is part of a network of 16 new walk-in clinics, improving access to primary healthcare across Scotland by providing over one million appointments and ending the 8am rush. John Swinney announced the next tranche which includes Aberdeenshire. I will be working to ensure that an Angus clinic will come in a later phase.

We are committed to reducing wait times and delivering the best possible care for people in Scotland. In the 2025-26 budget, almost £200 million was allocated to reducing waiting list times. Under the SNP government, the longest wait times have fallen for eight months in a row - and NHS Scotland health boards are delivering a record number of hip and knee operations.

The SNP government has also provided £1.3 billion to mental health services, more than doubling direct investment since 2020-21. With approximately one in four people in Scotland facing a mental health problem in any given year, this doubling of investment protects and supports those living with mental health conditions and safeguards access to the care they deserve. In the 2026/27 budget, we’re expanding round-the-clock emergency mental health services in Scotland, with an additional £3.5 million of investment, which will expand the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub, improve crisis support for children and young people, and help ease pressure on A&E.

investments in facilities in both Aberdeen and Dundee. In Aberdeen there is a new oncology and haematology day patient and out patient services centre due this year at the ANCHOR Centre as well as the new Baird Family Hospital for maternity, neonatal and breast screening services expected to be completed in 2027. Most recently in Dundee there has been the recent modernisation of the Dundee Dental Hospital and Research Centre.

NHS Grampian received £1.34 billion in the SNP government’s 2025/26 budget, with NHS Tayside receiving £1,094 billion. The Scottish Government has taken on a key role in the scrutiny and development of NHS Grampian’s Improvement Plan, to ensure that local service delivery retains the high levels of care that patients in the region deserve.

Our NHS staff are the lifeblood of the service, and the SNP government does all it can to support them. In 2021, parking charges at all NHS-run hospitals in Scotland were scrapped. Staff working for NHS Scotland do not have to pay to park at their workplaces, unlike many of their counterparts in England. This has saved both staff and patients over £68 million - ensuring staff aren’t financially impacted whilst turning up to care for others.

Additionally, Scotland is the only nation in the UK to have successfully averted NHS strikes over pay. By engaging constructively and proactively with unions and staff members, the SNP government has prevented the weeks of strikes which have severely impacted service users of NHS England throughout 2025. This productive relationship between the SNP government and NHS Scotland staff is key to delivering positive health and social care outcomes for Scotland.

In Scotland, NHS staffing is at a record high. There has been 13 years of consecutive growth in NHS staffing - with overall Nursing and Midwifery staffing up by 18.1% under the SNP since 2007. In 10 years, there has been an 82.2% increase in the number of A&E consultants, assisting Scotland’s core A&Es to be the best performing in the UK for nine years. Not only does this have a positive impact on patient outcomes, but higher staffing levels increase staff safety and wellbeing - making NHS Scotland a better and safer place to work.

In recognition of the needs of the digital age, NHS Scotland has improved its use of data and digital innovation, signalling a commitment from the Scottish Government for the need to provide information for patients in the ways most accessible to them. This includes the roll-out of a new Scottish health and social care app, representing a ‘Digital Front Door’ to the NHS for patients.

The SNP has continuously prioritised Health and Social Care for Scotland. With a record £22.5 billion allocated in the 2026/27 Budget, voting both votes for the SNP on May 7th will prioritise patients, protect staff wellbeing, and safeguard our future generations. By ensuring the NHS remains free at the point of use, and committing to taking immediate actions to improve the NHS through increasing capacity and accessibility, the SNP are dedicated to allowing Health and Social Care to prosper for the people of Scotland.

In the last five years alone, the SNP has successfully delivered multiple infrastructure improvements for NHS Scotland - despite the soaring costs associated with Brexit and inflation. The development of Badenoch and Strathspey Hospital has improved access to primary care for those in remote communities in Scotland, enhancing treatment outcomes. For patients of Angus North and Mearns, there have been

We recognise that we need to protect our NHS for the future generations and are dedicated to preserving and reinforcing it. Scotland’s medical undergraduate intake has increased by 67% since 2015/16 - with now over 1,400 places available for medical students at Scottish universities (23/24). Scotland’s non-means tested, non-repayable bursary for nursing, midwifery and paramedic students is the most generous in the UK (worth £10,000) ensuring that your background is no barrier to entry into the profession.