By Bill Heaney
The SNP Government continued to back the “disgraced” health secretary Michael Matheson today, despite a poll showing the majority of Scots believe he must resign.
At First Minister’s Questions, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison defended Mr Matheson over his bogus claim for £11,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover a data bill run up while football was streamed via his parliament iPad.
Douglas Ross raised a new poll released yesterday showing a clear majority of Scots believe Michael Matheson should resign.
Conservative leader Douglas Ross, SNP deputy leader Shona Robison and Labour’s Anas Sarwar.
The Scottish Conservative leader said Michael Matheson has “lost the confidence of the country” and “needs to go for the good of the NHS”.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “Michael Matheson claimed taxpayers’ money when he shouldn’t have. He changed his story. He made up ludicrous excuses.
“The SNP Government continues to think the Scottish public believe Michael Matheson – but it’s clear that a majority of people don’t.
“A poll has confirmed the vast majority of Scots believe he should go, including most SNP voters.
“The public can see Michael Matheson is not focused on the day job.
“In the middle of an NHS crisis, the public needs to trust the health secretary. They don’t.
“When he meets nurses and doctors, they need to know he’s honest. He’s not.
“The disgraced health secretary has lost the confidence of the country.
“He needs to go for the good of the NHS.
“This week the Deputy First Minister [Shona Robison] said the public sector workforce would need to shrink. Shouldn’t it start with sacking Michael Matheson?”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “For weeks now, the Health Secretary has been trying to save his job while the crisis in the NHS continues.
“In one week, over 1000 patients waited over 12 hours to be seen at A&E.
“Tens of thousands are waiting for crucial diagnostic tests, including cancer.
“And waiting lists are now the longest they have ever been.
“828,398 Scots are now on an NHS waiting list and over 80,000 of them have been waiting for over a year.
“But tragically for many, they will never receive treatment.
“Our Freedom of Information requests to health boards show that in the past year, 24,567 people died while on an NHS waiting list.
“Many of these people waiting anxiously, often in pain for potentially lifesaving tests and operations.
“Two years ago, Humza Yousaf launched an NHS Recovery Plan that has failed.
“But rather than having a government that is focusing on these problems, we have a First Minister and a Health Secretary going from crisis to crisis.
“After sixteen years of SNP Government, it keeps getting worse, not better.
“Shona Robison was the Health Secretary who promised to end delayed discharge, but numbers are still on the rise.
“Humza Yousaf was the Health Secretary who promised to bring down waiting lists, but in the two years since his failed recovery plan they’ve gone up 28%.
“That’s 182,000 more people on waiting lists.
“And Michael Matheson was appointed to fix the mess, but today we reveal that over 24,000 people have died on an NHS waiting list in the past year.
“NHS patients and staff can’t afford yet another winter with a failing SNP Health Secretary and a failing SNP Government.”
NHS waiting lists, as of 30 September 2023
| Qtr ending 30/09/2021 | Qtr ending 30/06/2023 | Qtr ending 30/09/2023 | % change from last qtr | |
| Diagnostics | 125,557 | 152,606 | 151,651 | -0.63% |
| Outpatients | 415,435 | 514,387 | 525,654 | 2.19% |
| Inpatient | 104,958 | 149,615 | 151,093 | 0.99% |
| Total | 645,950 | 816,608 | 828,398 | 1.44% |
| Waits over 52 weeks | ||||
| 31-Dec-2019 | 30-Jun-2023 | 30-Sep-2023 | % change | |
| Diagnostics | N/A | 3,624 | 3,628 | 0.11% |
| Outpatients | 28,756 | 36,943 | 40,052 | 8.42% |
| Inpatient | 1,297 | 36,534 | 36,993 | 1.26% |
| Total | 30,053 | 77,101 | 80,673 | 4.63% |
Source: Diagnostics; Inpatient and Outpatient
Patients dying on NHS waiting lists
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| NHS Ayrshire & Arran | 1564 | 2143 | 2259 | 2384 |
| NHS Borders | 93 | 157 | 227 | 347 |
| NHS Dumfries & Galloway* | 345 | 388 | 484 | 658 |
| NHS Fife | 241 | 373 | 499 | 593 |
| NHS Forth Valley | 309 | 355 | 405 | 439 |
| NHS Grampian* | 1593 | 1693 | 1773 | 2033 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde | 2538 | 3546 | 4111 | 4777 |
| NHS Highland | 3643 | 3996 | 4202 | 4589 |
| NHS Lanarkshire* | 149 | 94 | 136 | 177 |
| NHS Lothian | 2921 | 3424 | 3742 | 4487 |
| NHS Orkney* | 173 | 188 | 189 | 190 |
| NHS Shetland | 12 | 18 | 23 | 32 |
| NHS Tayside | 2367 | 2261 | 2099 | 3800 |
| NHS Western Isles | 26 | 24 | 47 | 61 |
| TOTAL | 15,974 | 18,660 | 20,196 | 24,567 |
*Data provided by calendar year.
Source: Scottish Labour FOI.