Swinney to pledge better patient experience in speech on NHS renewal

The First Minister will pledge to make patients’ experience of the NHS “better than it is now” when he gives a speech setting out a “new course” for the health service in Scotland.

In a speech on Monday, John Swinney is expected to outline his vision for NHS recovery and renewal, as well as setting out a series of actions aimed at giving patients better access to treatment.

These include a plan to reduce the immediate pressures on the NHS, a shifting of the balance of care from acute services to the community – including improved support for GPs – and the use of digital innovation to improve access to and delivery of care.

Swinney is also expected to acknowledge the “challenges” faced by the NHS while insisting the health service is “fundamentally resilient and robust”.

“The NHS is personal for me – I see first hand all that it does for my own family,” he is expected to say.

“It is personal for all of us, and that is why we care about it so much. That is why we want to see it thriving again and why we need all parts of Scottish society to unite behind its renewal.

“There are some who oppose the NHS model and believe that the answer to our challenges is privatisation.

“They want us to believe that the health service is beyond saving and on the point of collapse. But that is simply not true.

“The challenges are great, of that I have no doubt. But I know that our NHS is fundamentally resilient and robust.

“There is nothing wrong with the NHS that can’t be fixed by what is right with the NHS.

“That includes the staff who are doing phenomenal things under enormous pressure. Innovations like the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service delivering dramatic reductions in the time from referral to diagnosis.

“And initiatives like the HPV vaccine programme which has ensured no cases of cervical cancer in women who have been vaccinated – a remarkable, lifesaving achievement.

“The foundations on which we will build NHS recovery and renewal are strong.

“But the question is how do we do better? How do we ensure our health service is not just the best in these isles, but the best it can possibly be?

“The actions I am setting out tomorrow will deliver tangible improvements that we can, and will, deliver to make people’s experience of the NHS in Scotland better than it is now.

“It will address the immediate issues in our health services, including the problems of access that I know cause so much frustration and unnecessary pain.

“And it will set out a new course so we can safeguard our NHS for the long-term.”