'Serious action' on NHS at heart of SNP Government plans

A stronger NHS is set to be at the “very heart” of John Swinney’s new Programme for Government this year.

The First Minister will set out Parliament’s commitment to improving access to GPs and for a “renewed and stronger” NHS in the 2025-26 Programme for Government on Tuesday.

A stronger, improved NHS service is to be at the “very heart” of the announcement.

Ahead of Tuesday’s publication, Swinney insisted that many people’s experience of their GP is “excellent,” but he acknowledged that for many others, there is a “deep frustration” over what has been described as the “8 a.m. lottery” to make appointments.

“So we will act to reduce pressure and increase capacity in the system, to make it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it,” Swinney said.

“When I became First Minister a year ago, I heard loud and clear people’s concerns about the NHS. The Programme for Government I announce today will take serious action to put the NHS on track to meet the needs of the public.”

Swinney will announce the new Programme for Government, which acts like a 12 month roadmap for Parliament, on Tuesday – less than 24 hours after visiting the Newfield Medical Group in Dundee.

Speaking to STV News after his visit, he said the programme will be about “delivering on the priorities” of the people of Scotland and “addressing the issues close to their heart” around access to NHS services and facilities.

It will also focus on tackling cost of living pressures for people and families.

“I’m conscious of all those challenges that people are facing in their lives, and I want to make sure the programme for government addresses them,” Swinney told STV News.

“It’s also got to give people hope about what lies ahead for our country and I want to make sure I deliver the very best for Scotland.”

The First Minister said he’s proud of the additional investment his SNP Government has already made in NHS services.

Swinney said the SNP had delivered an extra 105,500 vital NHS appointments and procedures that are “helping reduce waiting lists and waiting times”.

The First Minister said Parliament allocated the “largest ever” sum of money (£21bn) in the current financial year for NHS and GP services.

However, he said there also needs to be space for innovation to make sure people have access to what they need.

“All that work is very much at the heart of what I’m taking forward to make sure NHS meets expectations of the public,” Swinney said.

The programme will be announced earlier than usual this year to allow for a “full year of delivery” ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections.

Swinney told journalists last month that the programme would set out a list of actions his government will take as it prepares Scotland for the “undoubted economic challenges we face give the nature of fast morning events” in recent weeks – namely US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Ahead of his announcement on Tuesday, the First Minister confirmed that tackling child poverty and climate measures are all still on his government’s agenda, despite some recent setbacks and controversies.

“My government will be relentlessly focused on eliminating child poverty,” Swinney said.

He called it a “national mission” to improve the life chances of Scottish children, but he warned that the Government had to be “open eyed” about the “real obstacles” in the path to doing so – which he attributed to the UK Labour Government.

Likewise, he said that the Government must design climate measures that work with the public to take “necessary action on climate change” – through domestic heating support, nature restoration, peatland restoration, active travel schemes and more.

Swinney said MSPs “have to adjust to the financial realities”, but must remain focused on keeping climate action at the heart of the government agenda.