Nicola Sturgeon needs to get back to the day job, local MSP Jackie Baillie said today, as new official statistics revealed the dramatic scale of SNP mismanagement of the Scottish NHS.

Figures released by ISD Scotland, the government’s own statisticians, today reveal:

• The highest recorded number of unfilled posts for nurses and midwives across Scotland, including 785 vacancies in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde alone.
• Nearly 500 operations cancelled in a month because hospitals could not cope with demand, including 14 operations at the RAH in Paisley.

• Worsening performance for child and adolescent mental health services
• Worsening performance for psychological therapies for adults
• A&E waiting time targets missed again at the RAH with more than 100 patients waiting more than four hours for treatment in a single week
• 26 patients in Argyll & Bute and West Dunbartonshire trapped in hospitals when they are fit to go home.

Labour said today’s statistics show that the problems with our NHS under the SNP are not confined to one single aspect of the health service. On June 8, voters can send a message to Nicola Sturgeon to focus on running our hospitals, not dividing Scotland with another referendum.

Jackie said:

“This is the SNP’s NHS day of shame. The sheer scale of problems show that we have an NHS desperately needing support and resources from the SNP government.

“Mental health services are worse than this time last year. A&E waiting time targets at the RAH in Paisley are consistently missed. Patients are trapped in hospital when they are fit to go home because there isn’t a social care package for them after £1.5 billion SNP cuts to local budgets.

“We are now seeing the highest level of unfilled posts for nurses and midwives on record. The SNP workforce crisis is getting worse.

“No wonder nurses are heckling Nicola Sturgeon at TV appearances. She stopped running the health service to run a referendum campaign and the problems are coming home to roost.  Now she plans to divide us again.

“The only way to tell Nicola Sturgeon to get back to the day job and focus on running our health service rather than plan for a second referendum is to vote Labour on Thursday.”

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