Sarwar pledges to cut bureaucrats and reduce number of health boards in ‘biggest reform of NHS in decades’
Anas Sarwar said a Labour would end a “culture of bureaucracy” in the NHS.
Anas Sarwar has called for “fewer chief executives and more doctors and nursing staff” as he pledged the “biggest reform of the NHS in decades” if Labour wins the next Scottish election.The Scottish Labour leader said he would end a “growing culture of bureaucracy” and reduce the number of health boards.
In his speech at the party’s conference in Glasgow, Sarwar said that if he became first minister in 2026, Labour would declare “a national waiting times emergency” to try and solve ongoing problems.
And he said the party would introduce “our own Department of Government Efficiency” to streamline government operations.
The Scottish Labour leader also promised to introduce an “Amazon tax” for online retailers, ban mobile phones in classrooms, and introduce powers to bring in directly-elected mayors for communities.
However, the main focus of his speech was centred around the NHS, which he said was in a “crisis” that was “costing lives”.
Sarwar – a former dentist – said improving the health service was “personal” for him.
“I will take on the top-heavy management that is holding the NHS back and deliver the biggest and most meaningful NHS reform in decades,” he said.
“We will end the growing culture of bureaucracy. We will cut the number of health boards down to three, pushing power away from the boardrooms and to patients and staff on the frontline.
“Put bluntly – fewer managers, more nurses. Fewer chief executives and more doctors.”
He said that as first minister, he would make sure money was spent “on nurses and doctors, not the bureaucrats and the penpushers.
“And we will finally make our NHS fit for the future by embracing digital innovation and technology.”
Later in his speech Sarwar returned to cutting red tape and delivering “value for money”, citing the cost of the new Glasgow prison that will replace Barlinnie, pictured right.
He said: “As first minister I will respect every penny of your money.
“That’s why we will have our own Department of Government Efficiency to stop the waste and deliver value for money for you, the taxpayer – and that value for money will extend to every part of government.”
He said there were currently more than 130 quangos in operation in the government, which he called a “culture of waste.”
He added Labour would end the “ideological block” on new nuclear projects in Scotland.
His other pledges included overhauling rates relief for businesses and ending the country’s “housing crisis” – something he said would need “bold action” to get Scotland building.
And he claimed that a Labour government would place “selling brand Scotland” abroad at the heart of economic plans, creating more exports.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton, right, said: “Labour have broken so many promises since the General Election that who could trust a word Anas Sarwar says.
“They promised not to axe winter fuel payments for pensioners or not to hike National Insurance, but Keir Starmer did it anyway, so Scots simply won’t believe him.
“He promises a new direction but Scottish Labour have been part of Holyrood’s cosy left-wing consensus that has failed Scotland for over 25 years.
“Anas Sarwar helped Nicola Sturgeon pass her flawed gender reform bill and backed Humza Yousaf’s Hate Crime Act which showed how detached he is from the real world.
“Only the Scottish Conservatives, under Russell Findlay’s leadership, are standing up for those who just want politicians to show some common sense for a change and are holding this rotten SNP government to account.”
- Anas Sarwar’s speech in full is in the previous item of today edition of The Dumbarton Democrat. Top of page picture is of Anas Sarwar arriving at the Scottish Labour conference.
And Labour’s answer to the NHS crisis is to part privatise the system.
Like gas, electricity and water in England, ownership by the international big money corporates will be the answer.
And that’s it, Labour support privatisation and charging for healthcare.
GPs will soon be coming round to do house calls, not to administer medication or diagnose what’s wrong with their patients. But to do estimates of how much it will cost for them to be treated in the private sector. Anyone seen a doctor out on the road recently? One Democrat reader who couldn’t get a doctor at lunchtime when he phoned the Health Centre complained he saw three of them outside Greggs at Dumbarton Cross. They weren’t looking for a dietician though. Someone should tell them sausage rolls and Belgian buns are not the stuff of healthy eating.
Another thing to note is that reducing the health board numbers by aggregating them into one big entity is the prelude to shaping a service up for privatisation.
It was standard practice with Thatcher and Ana’s is just following in the same trend.
American big business is desperate to take over the NHS and NHS Scotland would appropriately restructured make a decent chunk.